


It's Only Gravity

by midnight_vision



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anakin and Padmé are too cute together, Asexuality, F/M, Happy Ending, M/M, Obi-Wan is lonely as hell, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-04 04:26:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 97,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13356462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_vision/pseuds/midnight_vision
Summary: Obi-Wan was tired of hearing his upstairs neighbors have sex, so he figured out which apartment was theirs and slipped a note under their door, asking them to quiet down. He certainly didn’t expect the couple to want to meet him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m struggling with the next part of my series, so here’s a modern AU I’ve been wanting to write for a while. I won’t have a consistent update schedule, but I do have over 20,000 words written already, so there shouldn’t be huge gaps between updates.

Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open before he squeezed them shut and resisted the urge to find a broom to bang the ceiling with. He didn’t even think he owned a broom, just one those small brushes that came with a dustpan. Looking at the clock on his nightstand, Obi-Wan groaned and rolled onto his back.

It had been like this for weeks. He would go to bed only to be woken up about 10 minutes later by thumping and moaning that seemed to go on forever. The apartment on the other side of their bedroom had to be vacant because Obi-Wan was sure they would have complained already, but maybe his new upstairs neighbors simply didn’t care if anyone heard them. Maybe they got off on it.

As Obi-Wan frowned at the ceiling, he decided enough was enough. He would figure out which apartment was theirs and slip a note under their door, which was preferable to actually saying to their faces that he was tired of hearing them have sex almost every night. With that in mind, Obi-Wan rolled onto his side and tried to think about something that would distract him so he could fall back to sleep. If he wasn’t careful, that could have the opposite effect, and he’d be lying there going over how he should have handled certain life events or what he’d say to his parents if they showed up at his apartment. There was a story he had going in his head that mainly served as a form of escapism. That only helped about half of the time, though. He tried using a noise generator app once, but even with the volume all the way up, it still wasn’t loud enough to drown out the noise coming from above.

When Obi-Wan next opened his eyes, it was early morning and blissfully quiet. He would have liked to sleep for maybe another hour, but the longer he waited, the greater the risk of meeting his neighbors when he gave them his note. He usually didn’t hear them walking around too much that early on a Saturday, so they probably wouldn’t be on their way out the door while he was standing in front of it.

After he quickly went through his morning routine, Obi-Wan found a pad of paper and began writing. The first note was too harsh, making him seem like a grumpy old man who hated everyone, so he crumpled it up and wrote another, softening his language a bit.

_Dear Upstairs Neighbors,_

_How wonderful that you have such an enthusiastic sex life, but it would be fantastic if you didn’t share that with me. Perhaps you could put something behind your headboard or moan into a pillow, anything to lessen the noise. It would be much appreciated if I could actually sleep through the night on a regular basis._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Extremely Uncomfortable Downstairs Neighbor_

Obi-Wan finished his tea and folded the note in half before writing “PLEASE READ” on one side.

Hoping the layout was the same on all floors, he counted how many doors down he was from the stairwell and counted the same after he reached the floor above his own. Considering the number on the door was 306, a hundred higher than his own, he was almost positive he was at the correct apartment. Obi-Wan made sure he was alone in the hallway, slipped his note under the door, and tried not to run back to the stairwell. He would have been mortified if they had opened their door before he could make his escape.

With that done, Obi-Wan got to work going over the latest manuscript Satine had sent to him the day before. Out of the five clients he currently had, she was the only one who didn’t give him a problem with making a deadline. In fact, she asked for an extension only twice in the eight years he’d been her developmental editor. He was assigned to her first book when he still worked at the publishing house, and she rejected almost every suggestion he gave her in the beginning. It took a shouting match where they both said some hurtful truths about the other for them to settle into a cautious sort of friendship.

Over the next few years, Satine had become Obi-Wan’s most cherished friend, so when they’d gotten drunk on the night he told her he was quitting to become a freelancer, the heated kiss she gave him was devastating. Even if he did return her feelings, romantic relationships never worked out, not for someone like him. Besides, he wouldn’t want to stop being her editor just because he wasn’t going to be working at the publishing house, and he didn’t believe it was appropriate to date his client. It had been one hell of an awkward night that took months to recover from, but Obi-Wan felt they had grown closer in the end, which led to him telling her he had thought he was broken for years for never experiencing sexual attraction. It was the first time he even said the word “asexual” out loud, mostly because he only recently learned there was a word for who he was. Satine’s reaction was nothing like what he’d gotten from the few people he’d dated, and his relief was so strong that he’d actually cried for the first time since he was a teenager. Although Satine viewed it as a badge of honor that he trusted her to such an extent, it still embarrassed him to think about that day.

A couple of hours passed before his stomach started to demand food, and Obi-Wan decided it was time to take a break. As he walked through his tiny living room, something by the front door caught his eye, and he could feel the blood drain from his face once he realized someone had left him a note. He couldn’t even move. What if his neighbors were spiteful people who would only get louder? What if they thought he was actually a pervert because he waited so long to say anything? He was just grateful that they didn’t know what he looked like . . . unless one of them happened to be looking through the peephole when he dropped off his note.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he strode over to the deceptively innocent looking piece of paper and held it as if it would spontaneously combust. Upon opening it, however, his fears quickly left him.

_Dear Downstairs Neighbor,_

_We are SO, SO sorry! We honestly didn’t know you could hear that. Please let us make it up to you. My husband is quite good at baking, if you have any requests. And I promise that we will try very hard to be quiet no matter what we’re doing. Again, we are so sorry for making you uncomfortable._

_Sincerely,_

_Padmé and Anakin_

Under their names was an email address, presumably given so that they didn’t have to continue communicating via notes slipped under doors. Obi-Wan stared at the neat handwriting while he debated what to do. Should he email her or let it drop? He never expected the couple to reach out like that, so he was bizarrely curious as to what kind of people they were. With them being so apologetic, he would have thought they’d be too embarrassed to ever want to come into contact with him.

He continued to think about it as he put together a snack that was something like a late breakfast. Sitting at his computer while he ate, Obi-Wan took out his phone and typed up a message to Satine, explaining his predicament. They went to each other for advice on all sorts of issues, and nothing had blown up in their faces yet. It only took a few minutes for his phone to light up with an incoming call, and when he answered, he was greeted with her laughter.

_“I can’t believe you wrote them a note!”_

“Well, I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

_“And now they’re offering you baked goods. If you really play up the suffering, maybe you can get a whole cake out of it.”_

Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh as he leaned back in his chair. “And what would I do with an entire cake?”

_“Eat it, of course. You’re too skinny.”_

“I shouldn’t attempt to solve that by gorging myself on cake.” Holding up the note, he continued, “I don’t know if I should respond. It’s strange, isn’t it, them wanting to make it up to me? Should I just ignore the offer?”

There was a brief silence as Satine considered his questions. _“It is a bit strange, but maybe they aren’t the type to get embarrassed about sex. I say you should accept. The curiosity will eat you alive if you don’t.”_

“You have a point,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh. “If it doesn’t turn out to be a terrible idea, I promise I’ll save you some cookies.”

He could picture her smiling. _“Just turn on the charm, and it’ll be fine.”_

Obi-Wan almost snorted at that. Whatever charm he had was probably long gone from lack of use. “Thank you, Satine. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

_“Become a hermit, I’d say.”_

“I’m not _that_ bad. I’ll give you an update on your manuscript in a few days.”

_“Alright, and let me know how it goes.”_

After they said their goodbyes, Obi-Wan opened his private email account and thought that maybe Quin was right. Who still had an AOL email address? It made him seem so terribly old and out of touch. But he didn’t want to risk using his professional email account. Obi-Wan stared at the blank page for a moment longer before he typed in Padmé’s address.

 _Hello_ _Padmé,_

_Do you think your husband can handle chocolate chip cookies?_

_Your downstairs neighbor,_

_Obi-Wan_

He let out a somewhat distressed noise before he hit the “send” button. Now it was officially out of his hands.

Once he finished his snack, he put the whole neighbor situation out of his mind and got back to work. Satine’s manuscript was 20 pages longer than the last draft, which probably meant she had taken quite a few of his suggestions to heart. Obi-Wan checked his calendar to see what deadlines his other clients had before setting his own deadline to finish going over her manuscript. She still had two months before she had to submit it to her publisher, but considering how long the story was, two months felt more like two weeks. Obi-Wan was thinking about having to pull a few all-nighters when he heard the low chime from his computer that meant he had a new email.

_Hello Obi-Wan,_

_His chocolate chip cookies are to die for. He makes them from scratch. We can bring them down around 4:30 if you’re not busy._

_Padmé_

He stared at the screen in bewilderment. She was bizarrely eager to be on good terms with him. Maybe she was one of those people who hated the idea of someone disliking them. Despite not realizing that he could hear them having sex, they should have at least thought that the sound of the headboard banging into the wall would travel down to him. But Padmé clearly felt bad about it, which made Obi-Wan wish he had been a little nicer in his note to them.

Obi-Wan typed up a short reply, saying that time was fine, but it wasn’t until after he sent it that he thought to check if his apartment was in an acceptable state for company. He couldn’t just greet them at the door, take the cookies, and shoo them away. Thankfully, his living room wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to clean, and his kitchen was practically spotless, which was mostly due to him barely using it. Because he was a total disaster when it came to cooking, Obi-Wan bought a lot of microwavable entrees and frequently ordered take-out. He knew he’d end up putting the cleaning off to the last minute if he didn’t do it that instant, so he straightened up as best he could and brushed the noticeable dust bunnies onto his dustpan. He’d have to do a thorough job of cleaning some other day.

Sitting back at his desk, Obi-Wan took a few deep breaths to help get himself back into the right mindset for editing, and he became so absorbed in his work that he actually jumped when his doorbell rang. Blinking rapidly, he looked at the clock in the corner of his screen and swore as he nearly ran out of his office. There wasn’t any time to make sure he didn’t look like a mess, so he smoothed down his hair on his way to the door and quickly checked the front of his shirt to make sure there weren’t any crumbs. Of course, that was when he realized all he’d had to eat the entire day was cheese and crackers and half of a sandwich. He really did need to start taking better care of himself.

Looking through the peephole, his jaw almost dropped. He’d assumed his neighbors were young, but he hadn’t thought they’d look like they belonged on the runway. _Alright, I might be exaggerating a little._ When he opened the door, Obi-Wan was greeted with two sets of wide eyes. In that moment, he wondered what image of him they had conjured up in their heads before going downstairs with their peace offering.

“Wow, you are _not_ what I was expecting,” Anakin said, his cheeks a bit pink.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “And just what were you expecting?”

“Someone who was much older and not cute at all.”

“Anakin!” Padmé nudged him with her elbow. “We’ve already made him uncomfortable, so don’t make it worse!”

Judging by how red Anakin’s face was getting as he looked to the floor, he hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud. Obi-Wan wasn’t a stranger to getting hit on, but it was new for him to get hit on in front of that person’s spouse. Oddly enough, rather than be upset about her husband thinking he was cute, Padmé was concerned about how it made Obi-Wan feel. He wasn’t sure what to make of that.

She turned to Obi-Wan and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry about him. He doesn’t always think before he speaks.” Then she presented the plate of cookies, which looked very appetizing, especially since he’d barely eaten. “They came out of the oven only half an hour ago.”

As Obi-Wan stepped aside to let them in, he tried to hold his laughter back at how strange the whole situation was. Anakin’s blush had mostly receded by the time they sat down, and Padmé took the cling wrap off the plate after she put it on the coffee table. Unable to resist, Obi-Wan took one before he sat down in his armchair. It smelled delicious, and it tasted even better. While he chewed, Anakin watched him out of the corner of his eye, his left leg bouncing slightly. The smooth, black glove on Anakin’s right hand caught Obi-Wan’s attention, but he assumed it was some weird fashion trend. He had no idea what was popular anymore. And how could Anakin possibly be cold? It was the middle of the July, yet he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

“Well, I think you’ve just ruined me for store-bought cookies.”

Anakin beamed at him in response.

_Oh, he has a lovely smile._

“Don’t tell me you’ve never had homemade cookies before,” Padmé said.

“I have, but they were terrible. In a panic, I fed it to my friend’s dog just so I wouldn’t have to take another bite.”

Both of them laughed before Padmé cringed and said, “I’m sorry. We’re being so rude. I’m Padmé, and this is my husband, Anakin.”

Obi-Wan introduced himself, feeling a bit silly while doing it since they already knew his name. The little buzz of curiosity was starting to become more difficult to ignore, and he knew that if he didn’t get it out now, he would end up embarrassing himself. Resting his hands on his knees, Obi-Wan leaned forward slightly and tried to think of the best way to phrase his questions. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss here. Why did you reach out to me? Wouldn’t it have been easier to go on with your lives and be thankful that I didn’t know what either of you looked like?”

Padmé cocked her head to the side. “Why did you accept our offer?”

He couldn’t tell if she was deflecting. Neither of them seemed to particularly mind that he’d heard them at their most intimate moments for the past few weeks. Instead, they were just sitting there as if he’d invited them over for tea to chat about their favorite book. Maybe they were a serial killer duo, and he’d just been lured into their trap. Obi-Wan had to stop himself from sighing. _I’ve been watching too many detective dramas._

“To be perfectly honest,” Obi-Wan said as leaned back into his armchair, “I’m not sure. I suppose your reaction was so surprising that I was compelled to accept.”

“What’s surprising about an apology?” Anakin asked, frowning.

“It wasn’t the apology. It was the fact that you wanted to meet me after I informed you that I could hear your . . . nocturnal activities. Most people would be too mortified to even respond to such a note.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure why he couldn’t say the word “sex.” While he didn’t like being subjected to any aspect of sex when he wasn’t in the mood—it had been months since he last felt that sort of need—the act itself didn’t actually bother him. It was more that he couldn’t understand why everyone was so obsessed with it. At least they didn’t seem to think his discomfort was out of place.

“We don’t like to be on bad terms with our neighbors,” Anakin said with a shrug. He was obviously trying to act nonchalant, but his slight blush was giving him away. It probably would have been easier for him if he didn’t think Obi-Wan was attractive. “Plus, I’m always up for showing off my baking skills.”

Living on a different floor meant they wouldn’t interact much, if at all, so Obi-Wan was still a little confused. In the end, their reason didn’t really matter, and he had to admit that the cookies were worth the short burst of anxiety he’d gotten upon seeing their note by his door.

“You’re a very lucky woman,” Obi-Wan said to Padmé before he finished his cookie.

She gave her husband a fond smile, one that he returned. “Yes, I am.”

A tiny stab of jealousy made Obi-Wan look away. Although he had given up on ever finding a romantic partner, that didn’t mean he was happy with being alone. Sometimes, when he saw couples who were so obviously in love with one another, he wondered what he was doing with his life. He worked from home, so he usually only went out to run errands. He kept in contact with a few friends, but he didn’t get to see them much because of their own busy schedules, and he hadn’t spoken to most of his family in years, not that he ever wanted to speak to them. It would be nice to at least have someone to share his boring life with, or maybe that person could bring some excitement to it. Obi-Wan could do with a little unpredictability.

Maybe that was why he accepted their offer. He needed to make new friends to shake things up, not that they would want to be friends with him. They were just trying to apologize for making him lose sleep. Obi-Wan probably wouldn’t see either of them again, or if he did, they would exchange quick greetings with him and be on their way. Anakin and Padmé were young, so why would they want to be around a man in his late thirties who mostly just worked and slept?

“Would you like something to drink?” Obi-Wan realized he was being a terrible host, but to be fair, they were really throwing him off.

“No, thank you,” Padmé said while Anakin blurted out, “Just water, please.”

Obi-Wan chuckled as he stood. “I’ll be right back. Are you sure you don’t want anything, Padmé?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she said, giving Anakin a somewhat amused look.

While he was in the kitchen, he heard whispering, but he figured it was just Padmé telling her husband to stop taking the risk of making Obi-Wan uncomfortable. If Obi-Wan noticed Anakin’s interest, then Padmé certainly did. She had to be a very secure woman to not bristle at Anakin’s attraction to him. As he poured water into two glasses—in addition to barely eating, he hadn’t had much to drink—he found himself wondering how they got together. Since Anakin wasn’t very good at being subtle, Obi-Wan bet he just walked right up to her and asked if she’d date him.

After Anakin thanked him for the water, Padmé angled herself to face Obi-Wan, her expression one of open curiosity. “So how long have you lived here?”

That wasn’t an attempt at small talk. She genuinely wanted to know. They had to be the most confusing people Obi-Wan had ever met. “About six years,” he said after he took a few gulps of water and set the glass down. “The rent isn’t too high, and it’s in a good location.”

“Close to work?”

“Actually, I work from home. I’m a freelance editor.”

Her eyebrows rose slightly. “For what kind of publication, or do you work on a little of everything?”

“Mostly fiction books.” They probably thought he corrected grammar, but he didn’t feel like explaining the difference between a copy editor and a developmental editor. He usually got skeptical looks whenever he described what he did, like he was trying to make his job sound more interesting than it actually was. “I used to work for a publishing house, so I’d built up a decent client list. Being my own boss is a lot less stressful.” That wasn’t to say he had it easy, but it was a lot better than the situation he’d been in.

Padmé nodded. “Going freelance is such a risk, but it definitely helps to have at least a few loyal clients at the start. And I’ve always thought editors don’t get enough credit. After all, behind every great author is an equally great editor. What kind do you do?”

To his horror, he could feel his face get hot. Obi-Wan couldn’t remember the last time anyone was excited over his career, and he’d never met someone outside of the industry who actually knew there were different types of editing. At least, he was assuming she wasn’t in the publishing industry. “Developmental,” he said more quietly than he meant to.

“Ah, in my opinion, that’s the more difficult one.” Padmé looked at her husband. “Obi-Wan isn’t concerned with grammar or spelling. Instead, he focuses on the story itself and guides the author into making it better. It’s a collaborative effort.” Turning back to Obi-Wan, she said, “Well, I’m sure there’s more to it than that.”

Willing his blush to recede, Obi-Wan blinked a few times before he spoke. “You got the gist of it.”

“Have you worked on anything we might know?”

“The most popular books I’ve worked on were written by Satine Kryze.” At least that information would take the attention off of him.

Padmé leaned forward, her eyes wide. “Really? That’s amazing! My sister recommended the Mandalore series, and even though I’m not into fantasy, I couldn’t put those books down.”

“Does she write about the warrior culture that’s full of really dramatic people?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan laughed. That was one way to describe it. “Yes, and she’s currently working on the third book in the series.”

“I can’t wait to read it,” Padmé said.

The warm smile she was giving him made his stomach feel like he was on a roller coaster. He didn’t even know how to continue the conversation. Was he that out of practice? _I really do need to get out more._

Thankfully, Anakin spoke up before an awkward silence could settle in. “I tried to read her first book, but it wasn’t my thing.”

That was the opening Obi-Wan needed. “What _is_ your thing?”

“Depends on my mood, but romance is my favorite.”

He hadn’t anticipated that answer. Anakin didn’t even say it with a hint of embarrassment. It was always a surprise to meet a man who wasn’t afraid to like something that was deemed feminine by society.

“Anakin has such a soft spot for romcoms,” Padmé said cheerfully, slipping her hand into his. “We saw one on our first date, and he cried at the end. It was so sweet.”

That was when Obi-Wan noticed something about Anakin’s gloved hand was a bit off, especially the way his fingers moved to grip her hand. The only thing that made sense was that Anakin had a prosthetic hand. While Obi-Wan knew high tech prosthetic limbs existed, he’d heard they were incredibly expensive, so seeing one in person was rare. He wasn’t going to ask about it, though, not when he’d just met him.

Anakin let out a nervous laugh as though that was more information than he was willing to divulge.

“I’m guessing they were happy tears?” He gave Anakin a friendly smile as a way to show he wasn’t judging him.

After what Obi-Wan had to put up with when growing up, he never wanted to shame someone for how they expressed themselves. Quite frankly, he was amazed he still had the ability to show emotions outside of what was considered to be ultra-masculine, but he nearly had a panic attack when he’d cried in front of Satine all those years ago. He was only saved by the fact that she’d pulled him into a strong hug, the complete opposite of the reaction he’d always gotten before.

Anakin relaxed his posture and smiled back shyly. “Yeah.”

Obi-Wan had to resist the very sudden and alarming desire to reach out and brush a stray curl away from Anakin’s face.

Padmé glanced around the room until she spotted whatever she was looking for and frowned. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan. We didn’t mean to keep you.” She stood while still holding Anakin’s hand, and he followed her lead. “This was pretty last minute, and I’m sure you have things you’d like to take care of.”

“It’s fine. I needed the break.” And he really did. The reminder of how desperately he needed a social life was a plus. Standing, he reached his hand out, then quickly retracted it. Maybe a handshake would be thought of as odd in a casual setting. “It was lovely to meet you both, and I apologize for the rudeness of my note.”

“Please, don’t worry about it,” Padmé said kindly.

Anakin took a step forward and held out his left hand, which threw Obi-Wan off for a second. He saw the prosthetic fingers move before, so a handshake wasn’t impossible, but maybe Anakin was afraid of his reaction to it. Biting his tongue, he took Anakin’s hand and tried not to think about how his heart sped up at the touch. As Anakin held on a little longer than was appropriate for a first meeting, Obi-Wan became aware of just how starved he was for human contact.

“It was really nice to meet you, Obi-Wan.”

Swallowing hard, he could only nod before he saw them to the door, and once he was alone, he realized he actually hadn’t wanted them to leave. They made him feel . . . safe, which was ridiculous. Obi-Wan only just met them. But despite being a boring man who led a boring life, they seemed to enjoy his company, so maybe they wouldn’t mind being his friends. And that tiny spark he felt in his chest whenever Anakin or Padmé smiled probably meant nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts where the first chapter started. While the perspective will change with each chapter, I’m only going over the same events from a different POV this one time.

After Padmé took the harness off, she cuddled up to Anakin and kissed the back of his neck while she lightly stroked his arm with her fingers. He hummed pleasantly in response, already drifting off to sleep. Anakin was the type to fall asleep almost immediately after orgasm, so he always did his best to get her off first. But tonight wasn’t about her. It was about Anakin giving up his control, which was something he needed to do every so often. It nearly took Padmé a year to get that out of him, but Anakin swore the reason he didn’t say anything wasn’t because he didn’t trust her. He simply didn’t know how to put it into words until she asked the right questions. It didn’t help that he rather shy about sex that strayed from what was generally accepted by society, so it took a lot of patience and reassurance to get him to tell her what he actually wanted. Padmé bought the strap-on after he sent her an email with a single line of text and a link to a sex toy site. “ _The blue one looks nice.”_ She still smiled when she remembered how red his face had gotten when she came out into the living room to give him a hug.

She reached over him to fold up the towel that caught his release and threw it onto the floor to be collected in the morning before she pulled the sheet over both of them. “I love you,” Padmé said as she wrapped her arm around her husband.

“Love you too,” he whispered.

By the time Padmé got up the next morning, Anakin was already in the shower. She could never understand how he rose with the sun no matter what time he fell asleep. Knowing that Anakin had already made breakfast, Padmé put on her bathrobe and went straight for the kitchen. She almost giggled at the smiling pancakes, their faces made out of chocolate chips, and settled down at the small kitchen table with a plate and the bottle of syrup.

It wasn’t long before Anakin joined her, his hair a tangled mess and his right arm bare. He usually didn’t wear his prosthetic at home unless it made doing a certain task easier. On his way to the food, he gave Padmé a kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you for breakfast,” she said once she finished chewing. “It’s both delicious and adorable.”

Anakin grinned. “I finally got the chips to melt the way I wanted them to, so I’m hoping there won’t be any more pancakes with faces that look like they’re screaming in pain.”

His previous attempts were hilariously terrifying, and she felt like she was putting the pancakes out of their misery by eating them. “So what will next weekend’s breakfast be?”

When he sat down across from her, he winked and said it was a surprise.

Padmé had no idea how she managed to snag such an amazing husband, and she was so glad she didn’t listen to her friends about dating him. Yes, he had been 23 and a little odd, but he had a good heart and treated her with respect, which was more than she could say about many men her own age. Besides, a four-year gap wasn’t a big deal. The only thing that bothered her parents was that he wasn’t Jewish, but in the two years Anakin and Padmé dated before getting married, her parents had grown to love him. They loved him even more for agreeing to a Jewish wedding. Anakin wasn’t religious, so he didn’t mind, and Padmé got to have the wedding she always wanted, even though they kept it small. She couldn’t wait to see what he had planned for their first anniversary, which was coming up soon.

While she was doing the dishes, Anakin came rushing back into the kitchen, his face pale and eyes wide. “Uh . . . you need to read this,” he said as he held out a piece of paper.

Alarmed, Padmé quickly dried off her hands and took the paper from him. She didn’t know what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t _that_. “Oh, god.”

Anakin ran his hand through his hair as he started pacing. “Should we just have the quietest sex possible and hope this person never finds out who we are?”

She bit her bottom lip in thought. Why hadn’t their neighbor said something sooner? Maybe they had finally reached their breaking point, but they felt it would be too much to tell them in person. While she wasn’t self-conscious about her sex life, she understood not everyone felt the same way about sex as she did, and she certainly didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. In truth, her own embarrassment at having been heard was minimal, and she would get over it quickly. Padmé was more concerned about making it up to their neighbor. She was glad it was only a note since it gave her time to figure out what to do.

“Padmé?”

She looked up at him. “Sorry. I was just thinking of the best way we could apologize.”

He opened his mouth to no doubt try to convince her they shouldn’t interact with their mystery neighbor, but he closed it again before he sighed through his nose. He’d gotten quite good at knowing when it wasn’t worth it to argue with her. “Okay, how about we also give them a note?”

Looking at the container of sugar cookies Anakin had made the other day, Padmé was struck with a brilliant idea. “Yes, and we should offer to bake them something. Nothing says ‘I’m sorry’ like homemade treats. To make it easier for them to respond, I’ll give them my email address in the note.” At the slight frown Anakin was giving her, she took his hand and kissed the inside of his wrist. “Of course, if you don’t want to, we’ll come up with something else.”

His frown quickly turned into a lopsided smile. “Oh, it’s fine. You know I love any excuse to bake, but I’m having trouble understanding why you want to meet them. I know you’ve never been shy about sex, but they’ve been an unwilling voyeur probably ever since we moved in.”

“Ani, they haven’t _seen_ us. If that were the case, I’d stick with a simple apology and do my very best to forget about it.” Hearing and seeing were two very different things, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle a stranger actually seeing them in the act. “Seriously, though, if you’re uncomfortable with meeting them . . . ”

“I _am_ a little weirded out by it, but we’re all adults.” Anakin pulled her into a hug, and she melted against him. “Sex is a normal part of life, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it, especially when we’re with someone we love. Besides, I’m kind of curious who this person is.”

It wasn’t too long after Anakin had delivered their note that Padmé received an email from an unfamiliar address. Honestly, she was surprised he—at least she thought Obi-Wan was a “he”—had accepted the offer, but she was glad he did because now she would have the opportunity to make it up to him. If Sola was there, she’d roll her eyes and remind Padmé that she couldn’t make everyone happy.

Anakin still wasn’t completely sold on the idea of meeting their neighbor. She told him that she could just drop off the cookies herself, but of course Anakin’s protective nature wouldn’t allow him to send her off to a stranger even though she was only going downstairs. Padmé hoped he didn’t still worry every time she was a little late getting home from work. After being greeted with a panicked boyfriend because she’d forgotten to tell him she was stopping off at the food store on her way home, Padmé had gotten into the habit of shooting off a text if she thought she’d be at least ten minutes late.

Soon enough, it was time to head downstairs. Before she wrapped the plate, she took one more cookie, which had Anakin laughing. “What? I already think we’re giving him too much.” It sounded like Obi-Wan lived alone, and an entire batch was a lot for one person.

When she finally saw their mystery neighbor, Padmé couldn’t help but stare. He was incredibly handsome, if a tad disheveled, and he was much younger than their guess of early 60s. Of course, Anakin had to open his big mouth, but at least Obi-Wan didn’t seem bothered by the comment. Still, it was funny how they were usually attracted to the same people. That attraction had never lasted, though, not after finding out something unsavory about that person or realizing they simply weren’t compatible, and beauty alone wasn’t enough to hold their attention. After all, being with someone just for sex wasn’t something either of them desired. Anakin didn't like to have sex unless he was emotionally attached, and Padmé always wanted more than a good time in bed. They were both romantics, and they liked the idea of being with a third, of having someone else to share their lives with.

Padmé had introduced Anakin to the concept of polyamory a few months after they started dating. She’d known she was capable of loving more than one person at a time since she was a teenager, but she had to know how Anakin felt about it. Padmé was falling for him quickly, and if he hated the thought of her being with another person, she would just hope she never met anyone else who captured her heart. Miraculously, he was fascinated that someone like her even existed, and after many late-night conversations, he confessed that having two people he could love sounded wonderful.

While Padmé was reasonably sure she was keeping her interest in Obi-Wan to herself, Anakin was being a little too overt. Most people would be uncomfortable with someone making eyes at them when that person’s significant other was sitting right there. After Obi-Wan went into his kitchen, Padmé lightly tapped Anakin’s knee. “Stop that,” she whispered. “You’re being obvious.”

“But he’s gorgeous,” he whispered back, “and he seems like a nice guy.”

“We’ve only just met him.” Anakin was a terrible judge of character, but she’d realized that it was mostly because he only wanted to see the good in everyone. Padmé, on the other hand, could usually tell when someone had an ulterior motive, and she had to admit that Obi-Wan wasn’t setting off any alarms. “Let me do most of the talking, okay?”

Anakin nodded, and the rest of their visit went well, except for that lingering touch when Anakin shook Obi-Wan’s hand. Padmé nearly sighed.

She was thrilled to find out Obi-Wan was a fiction editor, though. Working in libraries since she was a teenager, books had been such a large part of her life, and now she was the youngest library director in the state. Maybe sometime down the road, he’d agree to giving a talk about editing. The writing group would certainly love it. Their jobs being from similar worlds would give her a good excuse to talk to him again, maybe over coffee at her favorite café. Or tea. She was pretty sure they served tea there as well. Padmé wasn’t trying to stereotype him, but she knew not everyone drank coffee, and there was at least a good chance that he didn’t mind tea.

Once they were back in their own apartment, Anakin was a flurry of movement. He always had trouble staying still when he got that excited. “I like him! He looked as if he didn’t know what to do when we were about to leave, but I bet it’s because he’s awkward around new people. It was kind of cute. Since he works at home, maybe he doesn’t get out a lot. I want to see him again. Do you think he likes pie? I wish apples were already in season. But a whole pie would probably be too much. Maybe just a few slices?”

Padmé smiled when he finally looked at her. It never did take much for him to latch onto someone, whether romantically or platonically. “I think a few slices would be fine. You could say that you want an honest opinion because you think I don’t tell you when something doesn’t taste good.”

“Only if he needs to be convinced.” He paused. “You _do_ give me your honest opinion, though, right?” he asked with a worried frown.

Walking up to Anakin, she gave him a soft kiss. “I do. Remember those scones you made last month?”

He sighed and leaned down to nuzzle her cheek. “You said they were bland.”

Hearing him say that with relief almost had her laughing. She held Anakin’s face between her hands once he pulled back, and his affectionate smile made her feel like she was his entire world.

“You don’t mind if I pursue him? I mean, do you like him too?”

Padmé nodded as she let Anakin go. When they talked about seeing other people, they agreed that it wouldn’t work unless they both liked the new person, even if one of them only liked that person as a friend. If Padmé didn’t at least get along with Anakin’s lover, or Anakin with hers, she feared it would destroy their marriage. Finding someone they both wanted to be with romantically was the ideal scenario, but the likelihood of that person liking both of them in that way was very small. “I’m certainly interested. I know it’s difficult for you, but please take it slow or you’ll end up scaring him.”

Anakin looked up at the ceiling for a moment before his eyes brightened. He either just got a really great idea or a really terrible one that would take some convincing to let go. “Ask him if it’s okay if I email him since it’s better that I have the opportunity to think about what I want to say.”

“Oh, that’s perfect!” And if Anakin was unsure of how to respond without coming on too strong, he could ask her for advice. “Let’s wait a day, though. He already thinks we’re strange.”

“We kind of are, but that makes life fun.”

Grinning, she put her hands in his thick hair and fluffed it up until he almost passed for a member of a glam metal band. “Yes, it does.” Then she ran through the apartment as he chased her to return the favor, and he bumped into her when she stopped abruptly. “Whoops. I told Obi-Wan we would try to be quiet in general, and I’m sure he can hear us running around.”

Anakin blinked at her for a moment before he knelt down and patted the floor. “Sorry!” he shouted.

She leaned on his shoulder as she struggled not to laugh. He truly was such a ridiculous man.

That night, all they did was hold each other. Padmé would look into the headboard issue the following day, but moving the bed farther away from the wall was probably the easiest solution. Really, they should have known whoever lived below them could hear that. Padmé still felt guilty about it, especially after having met Obi-Wan. She hoped her intuition was right, that he was a kind-hearted person who was a little lonely. If he didn’t want to be in a relationship with either of them, maybe they could be his friends.

Padmé waited until after lunch to email Obi-Wan. She’d debated all morning on whether she should acknowledge Anakin’s behavior from their short visit or let Anakin bring it up himself, but in the end, she figured that it would be better to save Obi-Wan the stress of thinking Anakin was attempting to cheat on her. She doubted that he would believe whatever Anakin would say on the matter. Of course, they were both going under the assumption that Obi-Wan was even interested in men.

It was Sunday, and she had no idea what his schedule was like, but judging by his quick reply, he was either taking a break or had given himself the day off.

_Hello Padmé,_

_I have no issue with Anakin emailing me. I will say I was a little perplexed yesterday that you didn’t seem to be bothered by his attraction toward me. Please forgive me for asking, but do you have an open relationship?_

_Obi-Wan_

She should have known that saying she was fine with Anakin’s interest in him would be confusing. It was too vague. Saying they had an open relationship wasn’t accurate, though, since that had more to do with the physical aspect of a relationship rather than the emotional aspect. Padmé didn’t want Obi-Wan to think that Anakin only wished to jump into bed with him. Anakin’s excitement after their visit came from a genuine desire to get to know him, to go out on dates and have fun together. At least if Obi-Wan understood the situation ahead of time, it wouldn’t be a disaster if Anakin moved too quickly.

_Hi Obi-Wan,_

_No, we’re a polyamorous couple. I know most people don’t really understand what that means, so I keep this article on hand._

_Padmé_

She had to switch to her computer to get the link. The article was almost a decade old, but it had the best description of what they were that she’d ever read. Padmé just hoped she wasn’t scaring him away before Anakin even had a chance. As the minutes ticked by, her nervousness began to increase. Realistically, she knew she had to give him time to actually read the article, but with reading being a key part of his job, he could probably zip right through it. Padmé had to go sit on the couch and watch Anakin work on one of his projects to calm down.

About ten minutes later, her phone pinged.

_Well, you learn something new every day. Does Anakin know you’re basically trying to set us up together?_

Padmé smiled at her phone. He didn’t say they were freaks or that he’d prefer not to associate with them, so she hadn’t ruined anything.

_Oh, no, I’m not doing that. I just didn’t want you to think he’s a cheating bastard for any future attempts at flirting. (He’s a terrible flirt, by the way, but he’s adorable when he tries.)_

“Hey, Ani?” She always had to get his attention first when he was working. After he looked up at her, she said, “He’s fine with you contacting him, but you should know that I sent him that article.”

“You told him we’re poly?” he asked as he set his tool down on the table.

“I had to because he asked if we have an open relationship.” She’d already asked Anakin if he was okay with what she wanted to say in her initial email, and he was happy to have the pressure taken off of him. “I also said you’re terrible at flirting.”

His frown only lasted a few seconds before he shrugged. “At least he won’t have high expectations. Wait, does that mean he likes me too? He didn’t tell you that he wasn’t interested, right?”

“Just email him, Ani.”

He had his phone in front of him before she even finished that sentence. “What’s his address again?”

Padmé read it off of her phone, and as he agonized over what to say, she saw Obi-Wan’s reply.

_I’m looking forward to it._

That was a good start. She hoped that with him already knowing they weren’t the usual couple, he wouldn’t be caught off guard when she approached him, but she would wait until Anakin settled a bit before making a move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not Jewish or an amputee, so I’ve been doing as much research as I can, but please don’t be afraid to tell me if I miss something or get it wrong entirely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive response so far. <3

What was he thinking?

Obi-Wan wanted to bang his head against the wall. He should have politely told her that he would much rather be friends, but a small, traitorous part of himself was actually excited about the prospect of being more than that. Obi-Wan knew, he _knew_ , what happened when he let someone in. _And, god, what if Padmé has taken a fancy to me as well?_ He had no idea how things escalated so quickly. They’d only spoken for a short while, so he had trouble believing it was more than sexual attraction, but maybe Anakin was the kind of person who didn’t need much time to decide that he liked someone.

As nausea was beginning to make itself known, a new email popped up from robots4life entitled “hi,” and the strangeness of the address had him pushing his growing anxiety aside. If he hadn’t known Anakin was going to email him, he would have thought it was spam.

_Hey, Obi-Wan! So I was wondering if you’re a fan of cheesecake. I’m actually in the mood for apple pie, but it’s not quite the season yet. (I use apples I pick myself from an orchard.) You liked the cookies, so I thought I’d ask. I can even make it a fruit swirl if you’d rather have something more than a plain cheesecake._

_Anakin_

Trying to woo Obi-Wan with homemade desserts certainly wasn’t a bad tactic. Obi-Wan was just relieved that Anakin wasn’t being straightforward about it because it meant he could pretend Anakin was only being friendly. If Obi-Wan was truly going to risk getting his heart broken again, he would rather they take it slow. Maybe they weren’t compatible, and he wouldn’t have to explain what made him so different. Or should he save both of them the trouble and open up right at the start? Anakin was different himself in a way that was often misunderstood, so there was a chance he wouldn’t react badly.

Sighing, he made the decision to tell Anakin on their first date, if they even made it that far. Obi-Wan shot off a quick reply that while he did like cheesecake, Anakin didn’t have to go above and beyond for him. He wasn’t worth the effort, but he didn’t say that in the email.

It would have been so much easier if he could tell himself he only wanted to be Anakin’s friend. And Anakin looked to be in his early 20s, so was it even appropriate to pursue a romantic relationship with him? Obi-Wan wasn’t very knowledgeable on the subjects of dating or love. It didn’t help that he hadn’t even been on a date in at least five years, and his last relationship had ended in total disaster. Actually, none of his relationships had ended well, but that one had been particularly damaging to what little self-esteem he had. He was still recovering from it, even after so many years.

The article Padmé sent had opened Obi-Wan’s eyes. He never thought it was possible to love more than one person at a time, especially since he’d never had a positive experience with love. Obi-Wan wasn’t even sure he’d ever been in love. Although he’d felt inexplicably drawn to both of them, the thought of dating two people at once terrified him. But he was getting ahead of himself. As far as he knew, only Anakin was interested in him, and that was bad enough.

It wasn’t as if he wanted to die alone, and if he couldn't find someone who accepted him for who he was in a romantic relationship, he could be content with a very close platonic relationship. It didn’t really matter to him either way, but romantic relationships always made him uneasy since his partner would expect more from him than he was willing to give. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if anyone would put up with all the boundaries he had.

An email appeared in his inbox before his fear could morph into full-blown panic.

_I’m going to make one anyway. I just wanted to know if I could bring you a few slices._

Without inflection, he would have taken that as Anakin being annoyed, like he thought Obi-Wan was trying to brush him off when he only wanted to do something nice for him, but that was where the beauty of emojis came in. Obi-Wan had first thought they were ridiculous and completely unnecessary among adults, but in text-based communication, they really helped to avoid misunderstandings. While Obi-Wan was sometimes confused as to what each one actually meant, he knew the winking face at the end of Anakin’s email signified that he wasn’t annoyed at all.

_Then I will gladly accept your offer. How often do you bake?_

And that started a chain of replies that allowed Obi-Wan to get to know bits and pieces of Anakin’s life. It probably would have made more sense to exchange phone numbers at one point and actually speak to each other, but Obi-Wan was comfortable with emailing for the moment. He learned that Anakin went to school for mechanical engineering on a full-tuition scholarship, which was very impressive. Anakin saying he’d recently gotten his Master’s degree in robotics prompted Obi-Wan to ask about his age, and finding out he was 26 made him breathe a small sigh of relief. He wasn’t too young, so Obi-Wan didn’t feel like he was going to be taking advantage of him. When Anakin said he worked for a tech company that developed prosthetics, Obi-Wan was tempted to ask about his hand, but he figured that was a question better saved for face-to-face interaction.

He didn’t get the sense that Anakin was trying to flirt with him, but Anakin did make several promises to bring him various baked goods. Overall, he enjoyed their conversation, as much as they could have one via email. He was still leery about dating him, but he knew that was due to his own insecurities. Nothing Anakin said gave Obi-Wan a reason to believe he was close-minded, not that he was really expecting him to be anyway.

Maybe this wasn’t a huge mistake.

In a rare burst of confidence, Obi-Wan sent his phone number and warned Anakin that he put his phone on silent while he worked. His clients knew what times Obi-Wan took calls, so he only checked his phone periodically outside of those few hours to make sure no one else was trying to contact him.

Anakin’s reply was simply his own number and a smiling face that appeared to be blushing, and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but think that was cute. He got the impression that Anakin was a bit shy, so perhaps he’d been waiting for Obi-Wan to make the first move. He would have to ask Anakin how he and Padmé got together because he had a feeling his initial speculation was wrong.

Another email popped up in less than a minute.

_When do you normally take your phone off silent? (Sorry, I meant to ask before.)_

After Obi-Wan gave him his schedule, he realized this could be the push he needed to actually stop working at six o’clock. He’d set that time for himself as the end of his work day so that he’d remember to eat dinner, but he usually just shut the alarm off, went back to what he was doing, and didn’t stop until the grumbling of his stomach became a distraction. That could be hours later, so he’d end up going to bed right after eating. Although he knew it wasn’t healthy to work that much and barely eat, he was always afraid of falling behind and having to rush to meet his deadlines. But if he continued to follow that pattern, Anakin would probably feel that Obi-Wan was blowing him off, and that would either lead to a fight or an abrupt end in communication.

The rest of the day was spent catching up on the few shows he watched. He kept his phone nearby just in case, but it remained quiet, which was just as well since Obi-Wan couldn’t stand people who needed constant contact. A friend he made after coming to America emailed him every day to ask how he was doing or to send a link to a funny story or video. It quickly became a headache, and when he told his friend that he didn’t need to email him that often, the man went on a tirade about stuck-up Brits and how Obi-Wan must have thought he could get any woman he wanted just because he was good-looking. Obi-Wan had no idea where any of that came from, and he made sure to avoid him after that.

Soon before he went to bed, his phone beeped to let him know he had a text.

_< Good night! …and if we ever keep you up again, please feel free to bang on the ceiling>_

That startled a laugh out of him. Smiling, he texted back his own “good night” and set his phone to silent.

The next couple of days were productive and relatively quiet. While Satine’s manuscript flowed much better, there were still a few parts that needed some work, and the dialogue was a little too clunky in the pages she’d added. Obi-Wan had to keep reining her in when it came to her characters’ speech patterns. She wasn’t writing a Shakespearean play after all. As for Anakin, he didn’t text Obi-Wan too much, which was appreciated. The first three or four days of going over a manuscript were the most intense for him, so he often worked through his midday break and late into the night.

Right after he sent Satine an email with an update on his progress, his phone rang, and he just knew it was her.

_“What in the world are you doing, Obi-Wan? You should be asleep at this hour!”_

It was almost two in the morning. “You’re up as well, you know, and I don’t understand why you’re surprised. You’ve known me for eight years.”

_“No, no. You didn’t used to be like this, where your work took over your life. Get some damn sleep.”_

It wasn’t just that he decided to work on her manuscript for a little longer after he ate dinner. He and Anakin had been texting until Anakin went to bed. Anakin wanted to tell Obi-Wan about the outrageously offensive comment one of his coworkers made and how he happily watched one of his other coworkers tell them off for it. Obi-Wan knew that if he didn’t work himself into exhaustion, all he’d be thinking about was the possibility of dating Anakin. It wasn’t the best tactic since he’d have to go over everything he did in the morning to be sure it actually made sense, but there was no other way to distract himself. He could block out all other thoughts only when he was working on a manuscript.

Obi-Wan wanted to be honest with Satine about why he was still awake, but he couldn’t tell her Anakin was married, at least not yet. “It’s not about my job this time,” he said as he began shutting his computer down. “I met someone, and I’m trying not to go into a panic.”

There was a short pause before Satine gasped into the phone. _“Obi-Wan, that’s wonderful! Who are they? How did you meet? Wait! You need to go to bed. Call me in the morning.”_

He couldn’t help but laugh, and the tension in his muscles slowly drained away, leaving a dull ache behind. “I’ll give you the short version. He’s my upstairs neighbor, and we’ve been texting for the last few days. I know he wants to go out with me, but I’m hesitant about it for obvious reasons.”

_“This . . . isn’t the same upstairs neighbor you met over the weekend, is it?”_

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Obi-Wan blamed his lack of sleep for saying Anakin was his upstairs neighbor instead of saying he was a neighbor he met in the lobby or in his floor’s hallway. Of course Satine would make the connection. “Yes, but before you ask, he and his wife are a polyamorous couple.”

_“Dear god, they’re swingers? How would that even work when you’re ace?”_

Obi-Wan was far too tired to be having this conversation. He should have just called her back in the morning. “No, someone who is polyamorous can love more than one person at a time, and everyone involved is aware of each other’s relationships. His wife was the one who told me, so it’s not as if he’s trying to have an affair.” It did briefly cross his mind that Anakin could have been using Padmé’s email account to pose as her, but such a lie could easily fall apart by referring to the article when talking to Padmé in person, which wouldn’t be difficult to achieve since she lived right above him.

Satine was quiet for some time, so she was probably debating on which reason to go with to convince him what a terrible idea it would be to get involved with Anakin. _“At least they’re being upfront with you about it. Just make sure it’s not them wanting to fulfil some sort of sexual fantasy.”_

That was very unexpected of her. Was she that worried about him being alone? “I’m quite sure that’s not the case. After all, with how they look, they would have no problem finding someone to join them in their bed if that was all they wanted.” _Why bother with me when I have nothing to offer?_ He knew better than to say that because Satine hated it when he put himself down. It was true, though. Obi-Wan had no idea what Anakin saw in him, unless all he was really after was Obi-Wan’s body.

_“If you want my opinion, I think you should give it a shot, even though the situation is very peculiar. He baked those cookies you raved about, yes?”_

“He did. Anakin has already offered to give me other baked goods.”

She laughed softly before he heard her yawn. _“He definitely sounds like a catch. Whenever you do go out, tell me all about it. You deserve to be happy, Obi-Wan.”_

Wanting to be happy didn’t mean he thought he deserved it. He was going to say that he and Anakin hadn’t even acknowledged what their communication was actually about yet, that a first date might not ever happen, but he didn’t have the brain power to deflect Satine’s inevitable argument for why he should at least try to find a partner.

“If I do, I’ll let you know how it went,” he said as he stifled a yawn. When he stood up, he felt something pop in his back. Just how long had he been sitting in that chair? “And I’m going to do as you suggested and go to bed.”

 _“That wasn’t a suggestion,”_ she said curtly, but he knew it was an act. _“Good night, Obi.”_

“Good night.”

Obi-Wan left his office and headed straight for his bedroom, the sight of his bed making him wish he’d already gotten dressed in his nightshirt and soft pants. Thankfully, he’d washed his face and brushed his teeth after Anakin had wished him a good night. It wasn’t until Obi-Wan had exited the bathroom that he realized there was no way he would fall asleep and resigned himself to getting more work done instead.

Once he was dressed, Obi-Wan practically fell into bed and slept through his alarm in the morning. He was so disoriented when he woke up that it took him a few minutes to remember it was Friday. His body felt like it was made of lead as he tried to sit up, and getting himself to move any further than that was a battle he almost lost. Obi-Wan was too old for such late nights. He knew he was pushing himself too hard, but he lacked the motivation to stop doing so.

When he finally made it to the bathroom, he looked at the scale as if it would bite him. He couldn’t bring himself to step on it, not when he knew what it’d tell him. Obi-Wan didn’t dare look at himself in the mirror before getting into the shower and hoping the cool water would help him shake off his exhaustion.

Although he made the effort to actually eat something, it only ended up being two slices of buttered toast that served as lunch more than breakfast due to the time of day. Obi-Wan set three alarms to go off around six o’clock thinking he’d be annoyed enough by them to stop working and eat a decent meal.

What actually got him to stop was a text from Anakin that made him feel like an utter prick.

_< Hey, it’s fine if you’d rather not keep this going. I know I can come on a little strong and I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable (again)>_

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes as he groaned. He’d been so absorbed with his work all week that he hadn’t realized he’d never initiated contact. Quin had complained about that to him in the beginning of their friendship when he hadn’t yet learned that Obi-Wan was hardworking to a fault. Obi-Wan should have warned Anakin he could get like that when it came to communication.

He thought about texting back to explain, but it would be easier to just call. It took five rings for Anakin to pick up, and Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if that meant Anakin was angry with him or if he was just panicking. Obi-Wan didn’t know him well enough to be able to guess.

_“Um, hi.”_

Judging by his tone of voice, Obi-Wan went with panicking, which caused him to wince before he spoke. “Hello, Anakin. I promise you didn’t do anything wrong. I can get very focused on my work at times, and my social life suffers for it.”

There was a brief pause, and Obi-Wan swore he heard a puff of air, as if Anakin had been holding his breath. _“Okay. I just wasn’t sure_ — _I mean, I’ve been told since I was a kid that I’m very clingy. I try not to be, though.”_

Deciding he was done working for the day, Obi-Wan got up from his desk chair and walked into the living room to settle on the couch. “I didn’t think that at all. And who would tell a child they’re clingy?” he asked with a frown.

_“My stepdad. He’s not a bad guy. We just . . . don’t really get along. He treats my mom well, and that’s all that matters to me.”_

They hadn’t talked about family yet, and Obi-Wan was afraid to ask any questions about Anakin’s in case it was a sore topic like it was for himself. He hated the reactions he usually got from people who did ask about his family when he said he’d rather not talk about it. The confusion wasn’t as bad as the pity, but it was even worse when the person claimed to understand without having been told a damn thing.

_“Are both your parents alive?”_

“Yes, but I’d prefer not to discuss them,” Obi-Wan said quietly while doing his best not to sound irritated. He hoped Anakin would let the subject drop.

_“No problem. So I wasn’t texting you too much?”_

He let himself relax into the cushions. Anakin was only the second person Obi-Wan had come across not to push with that subject. “You weren’t. If you were bothering me, Anakin, my replies would have been very different. I’ll let you know if I feel that you’re ‘coming on too strong.’”

_“I’d appreciate that. Padmé did the same thing when we first started dating.”_

Talking about Anakin’s wife when Obi-Wan knew Anakin was looking to go out with him was odd, but that was the kind of couple they were. Just for his own peace of mind, he was going to have to sit down with her before moving forward with Anakin. “I’ve been wondering, how did the two of you get together?”

 _“We met at a local park and became fast friends. I was even more awkward at 22, and I had no idea how to ask her out, especially since I thought she was out of my league.”_ At his light tone, he clearly enjoyed telling the story. After a brief rustling, Obi-Wan imagined that Anakin had just lied down to get comfortable for what was going to be a longer conversation than he’d probably been anticipating. _“Really, she’s the easiest person to be friends with, and not once has she ever made me feel ashamed for just being myself. A week after my 23 rd birthday, she asked me out to dinner and a movie. We went to her apartment afterwards and talked until midnight, and despite what you’re thinking, all we did was kiss once. Padmé’s not the kind of woman who cares about societal standards, and she told me later that she thought if she didn’t make the first move, nothing would ever happen.”_ Anakin laughed softly. _“I would have asked her out eventually, but I would’ve just embarrassed myself. I know she told you I’m an awful flirt.”_ He didn’t sound disheartened by that fact.

So his initial guess _had_ been wrong, and even though Obi-Wan wasn’t much for romance, he did find it to be an endearing story. “She said you’re adorable when you make the attempt, but I can’t claim how accurate that is since I’ve yet to be the target of your flirting.”

_“Do you want to be?”_

That was the boldest Anakin had been all week, and where they went from there completely depended on Obi-Wan’s answer. He still didn’t know if any of this was a good idea, but he couldn’t deny that he was drawn to Anakin. It wasn’t normal for him to be attracted to another so quickly. Yes, Anakin was very nice to look at, but it always took more than someone’s appearance to get his attention. There was just something about him that he couldn’t put into words, and if he was being honest with himself, he had been drawn to Padmé as well. That feeling of safety, of kindness . . . Maybe being around Anakin on his own wouldn’t be the same as being around both of them together, but Obi-Wan wouldn’t know until he tried, until he broke through the cocoon he’d built around himself.

“Yes.”


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin tried to play it cool after Obi-Wan basically admitted to returning his feelings. Up until that point, he hadn’t been sure if Obi-Wan wanted to just be friends or be in a relationship with him. The last time Anakin had been in this situation, he’d said the wrong thing, and the person revealed who they really were. In hindsight, that actually worked out for him since he ended up not wasting too much time on someone who was a complete bastard.

“Alright, but my best work is done in person.” He cringed right after he said it. _Way to sound like a total loser, Skywalker._

Thankfully, Obi-Wan laughed, and the tension that had arisen after Anakin asked his simple question had vanished. _“Then I suppose we’ll have to meet up.”_

“I’m free tomorrow night.” Anakin wanted to punch himself. He was coming off as too eager, and while he hadn’t scared Obi-Wan away yet, he shouldn’t push his luck. “But that’s, uh, really last minute, so I completely understand if that’s not good for you.” He was met with a silence that went on for long enough that he thought the call had been dropped. Or maybe Obi-Wan hung up on him. “Are you still there?” he asked, his heart pounding.

_“I am. I was just thinking if I have to work late tomorrow, but I should be fine. I need to take breaks more often anyway.”_

Sitting up on the bed, Anakin tried to calm down. “What would you like to do?”

 _“You’re asking someone who hasn’t been on a date in about five years now,”_ he said wryly.

That took him aback. Obi-Wan was both a nice guy and hot as hell, so how could he not find someone? But he did say that his work ate into his social life, and it was difficult to get out there again if a lot of time had passed. Rather than ask about it, Anakin acted like it wasn’t a big deal. In truth, it really wasn’t, at least not to him. “Well, we could go to dinner, nothing fancy, and I’ll take my ring off to avoid any unwanted attention.”

_“That’s . . . Your wife wouldn’t be upset by that?”_

“You did read the article she sent you, right? She’s fully on board with this, but to anyone else, it would look like I’m having an affair, so not wearing my ring is just easier.” When Obi-Wan didn’t say anything right away, he continued, “Don’t worry. This is something we discussed ages ago.”

_“I’m not the first.”_

It wasn’t a question, but he didn’t sound upset about it, so Anakin took that as a good sign. “No, but anyone either of us have been interested in never even made it to the first date. Y’know, they were a secret asshole, or we realized we just didn’t click the more we talked. I . . . I get that this is weird, and if it’s too much for you, I’d understand.”

Obi-Wan took a moment to reply, and Anakin tried not to read into that silence. He probably liked to think before he spoke, which Padmé would enjoy very much. _“I already knew what I was getting myself into when we started corresponding with each other. I have nothing against it, but I would like to speak with Padmé before we go out, if that’s alright with you.”_

“Sure,” Anakin said, holding in a sigh of relief. “So dinner?”

_“That would be lovely.”_

They set up the place and time and talked for a few more minutes before Obi-Wan said he should eat. Apparently, the only thing he’d eaten all day was some toast and an apple. Anakin didn’t make a comment about it, but it definitely concerned him, and he shelved that information to bring up at a later date.

Padmé got home shortly after the phone call had ended, and by that point, Anakin was practically buzzing with energy. When she walked through the door, he took the grocery bags from her as he kissed her in greeting and immediately went into a recap of the last 10 minutes. Although he knew she had a difficult time keeping up with him when he got that excited, he simply couldn’t help it.

“Hey, hey. Ani, slow down.” She’d followed him into the kitchen and started helping him put the cold items away. “So you asked Obi-Wan if you were being too forward and ended up talking for a little while?”

Anakin took a deep breath to calm himself and handed her the carton of milk. “Remember how I thought I was doing something wrong because I was always the one contacting him?” At her nod, he told her what happened, but he made a conscious effort to talk at a normal speed.

“I’m so glad you finally set something up,” Padmé said as she gave his shoulder a squeeze.

After all the cold items were put away, he moved on to the rest, which wasn’t much. Like she’d said in her text, it had only been a quick shopping trip. At least he didn’t have to cook dinner since they still had leftovers. Usually, Padmé only cooked for her holidays. Because she’d been carefully taught those recipes when she was young, they came to her naturally as an adult, and while Anakin had no idea what they were supposed to taste like, his in-laws were always pleased with the results. Out of all the dishes she made, he thought her tzimmes was the best, but outside of Jewish cuisine, Padmé was barely passable as a cook. If it was up to her, they’d be eating a lot of pasta and canned soup. Anakin didn’t claim to be all that much better since baking was his forte, but it was rare that he completely ruined a dish.

“He wants to talk to you first, though. He’s having trouble wrapping his brain around us being poly.”

“No worries. I’ll set him straight, so to speak.”

“And make your move?” Anakin asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Padmé laughed as she gave him a light smack on his arm. “Not right before your date with him! Besides, I’d rather take my time.”

“You just want to talk about books.” After he put the last item away, he hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek. He could feel Padmé smile as she leaned into him. “You saw the way his eyes lit up when you knew what he does as an editor, right? I think you’ll hit it off.”

“I hope so. I may not be in the publishing world, but I’m close to it, so we’ll have something in common to talk about at first.” Then she pulled away from him to go into the fridge and take out the containers of seasoned rice and chicken that would be their dinner. “How was work?” she asked as she reached into the cabinet to get their plates down.

Anakin helped by getting the silverware out. “Good. I used the prototype for the whole day this time, and I still think it’s too slow. I’ll start working on it next week.”

“Oh, they’re finally giving you a crack at it? It’s about time.” Once she was done taking a rather large portion of food—she must have had a light lunch—she put her plate into the microwave. “You’ve been there long enough for them to realize you’re a genius.”

He rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t think that word applies to me.”

“And as I tell you every time, it does.” She beamed at him as she crossed her arms in defiance. “You’re just trying to be modest.”

“I _am_ modest, but I’m also not a genius. And I’m still considered a new employee since I’ve only been there a few months, so while they trusted me enough to use their prototype, it just took them a little longer to trust me to work on it.”

About a month ago, his boss asked if he would help them with their newest prototype. It was incredibly high tech, and if it ever made it to the market, it would be out of reach for most people. Anakin wished there were high tech options for those who weren’t swimming in cash, but Padmé had recently sent him an article she found that brought a smile to his face. A prosthetic hand was made with a 3D printer for a fraction of the price of what was available on the market. He hoped that as time went on, all prosthetics would come down in price and robotic prosthetics would become more commonplace.

Anakin couldn’t afford his myoelectric arm even after what Cliegg’s insurance covered. It was actually a wedding gift from Padmé’s parents, but after having lived with Cliegg, he was leery about accepting it. Cliegg loved to bring up the fact that he got Anakin and his mom out of poverty, and Anakin wanted to punch the man every time. He only tolerated Cliegg because he wasn’t a terrible person in general, and his mom liked him well enough. Plus, she was at peace with not having to struggle to get through each day. So when Ruwee and Jobal came to him and said they’d cover the difference for a myoelectric prosthetic, all he could think about was them holding it over him. But when they explained that Padmé told them he’d wanted it for years, and they would like to do something nice for him since he made their daughter so happy, he realized they didn’t see him as a charity case.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll blow them away,” Padmé said before she went up onto her tiptoes and gave him a peck on his lips.

Warmth flooding him, Anakin smiled as he tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. He still had no idea how she managed to put her hair into such intricate styles in the short time it took her to get ready in the morning. “And how was your day?”

“Not bad. The staff meeting went well, and our Twitter account is finally up. One of our high school volunteers is running it, so I think that’ll help. After all, most of us are too old to know how to reach teenagers on their level.” After she took her plate out of the microwave, she waited for him at the table. Unless one of them was absolutely starving, they liked to start eating together. “I’m confident that between the new flyers and having a social media presence, we’ll get more kids coming to our after-school programs.”

Padmé felt that programs at the library could both keep kids out of trouble and prepare them for college or life beyond school. Anakin admired her passion for helping others. She’d been volunteering at the county food bank at least once a month for the past 12 years, and he started going with her once they became friends. But Anakin got annoyed with her at times when the subject of poverty came up. Although she meant well, Padmé came from a privileged background, so she could sometimes be a little ignorant or condescending, and he never knew how to call her out on it without getting into an argument.

At least she never went so far as to pity those who had less, but whenever Anakin started to panic about his student loan debt, he had to leave the room before she inevitably offered to help him. While his undergrad education was paid for in full, his graduate education was not. He did manage to get a couple of scholarships and a very modest stipend, but that still left a decent amount that had to be covered with loans. He hoped that if he kept impressing his boss, he’d get a nice raise at the end of the year.

Anakin supposed they evened each other out, though, because he could be ignorant about Jewish issues. He tried to educate himself not only about Judaism but about Jewish history as well, and at Padmé’s suggestion, he’d gone to talk with the rabbi at the synagogue Padmé and her family went to. Anakin had been terribly nervous about it since the rabbi had refused to officiate their wedding due to them being an interfaith couple, but the man was very kind and quite pleased that Anakin was trying to educate himself. It also helped that Anakin told him they were going to raise their kids Jewish. The rabbi recommended books and documentaries that really led to Anakin feeling more connected with Padmé. But he could never learn everything, and he knew that. He was just glad that he hadn’t committed any serious faux pas in front of her family . . . yet.

They ate dinner in comfortable silence, their knees knocking together under the small table. Dinner was usually quiet on a weekday, especially at the end of the work week. While they both loved their jobs, they were exhausted by the time Friday rolled around, which was why they usually didn’t even bother with sex. The previous Friday had been an anomaly in that regard.

When he was particularly stressed, giving up control for the night was the easiest way for him to truly relax. He would tell her what he wanted and shut off his brain for a little while. Thinking about the fact that Obi-Wan heard him wasn’t nearly as mortifying now as it was before Anakin started getting to know him. If everything went well, Anakin would _want_ Obi-Wan to hear him, but from within the same room instead of from the floor below. Since some kind of emotional connection had to be established first, it could easily be over a month before anything would happen between them. Him never having been with anyone besides Padmé certainly didn’t calm his nerves. Maybe Obi-Wan had enough patience that he wouldn’t mind waiting, but if he did mind, Anakin would end their relationship immediately. He refused to be involved with a person who thought it was okay to even try to pressure someone into having sex.

Later that night, Anakin carefully undid Padmé’s hairstyle, massaging her scalp as he took out each pin. He realized that if he let his hair grow any longer, Padmé would ask if she could put it up into various styles for fun. Anakin loved it when she played with his hair, so of course he’d let her.

“You’re going out with Ahsoka tomorrow, right?” she asked once he was done.

“Yeah, for lunch. I haven’t seen her in while since we couldn’t find a day we were both free last month.”

“Lunch _and_ dinner. You have a busy day.”

Anakin sighed as he walked over to their bed and fell onto it with his arms spread out. “I’m gonna have to eat a very light lunch or my nausea will be even worse.” He was already nervous, but not as much as he was before his first date with Padmé. At least he had more experience with dating this time.

“I think you’ll do fine.” Padmé got up from her vanity chair and sat beside him before resting her hand on his thigh. “The restaurant you picked has a casual atmosphere, so that’ll help. Plus, I’m sure he’s more nervous than you are when he hasn’t been on a date in years.”

She had a good point, and if he kept that in mind, maybe his stomach would settle a bit. Sitting up, he pulled her into a sideways hug. “You’re probably right. Maybe give me some kind of hand signal after you talk to him to let me know how he’s feeling.”

Padmé laughed and proceeded to come up with a variety of hand signals, some of which had Anakin laughing himself. Her ability to get him to relax was one of the many reasons he loved her.

\------

“Hey, Anakin,” Ahsoka greeted as he sat down across from her. “You look especially happy today.”

“Well, of course. I’m getting to spend some time with you.” Grinning, Anakin took the specials menu and skimmed the list. He went there often enough that he almost always ordered the same thing, but he liked to look at the specials anyway.

She flicked her balled-up straw wrapper at him. “You’re such a dork.”

“You love me anyway.” Deciding to stick with breakfast for lunch, Anakin put the specials menu back and focused his attention on Ahsoka. She’d changed the color scheme of her hair again, with some braids a light silver and some a vibrant blue. Almost every time he saw her, she had a new style or different colors. “I like your hair.”

“Thanks! I almost went full-on rainbow last month for Pride, but then I realized how long that would take.”

“That would’ve looked amazing.” Anakin admired her bravery for being so willing to put herself out there. He wanted to put the bisexual flag pin his mom had given to him when he was a teenager on his work bag, but he was afraid of what his coworkers would say. “Has work gotten any better? Please tell me your boss spoke to that creep.”

“He did, but then the guy cornered one of the other girls, and she threatened to contact corporate if he wasn’t fired.”

“And was he?”

“Yup! Got tossed out on his ass last night. Well, not literally, but it was still satisfying to watch. If we weren’t meeting up today, I was gonna text you about it.”

Anakin’s body sagged in relief. While he knew Ahsoka could handle herself just fine, that didn’t stop him from worrying about her. Before he could ask her anything else, a server came up to their table to take their orders, French toast with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon for him and the usual blueberry pancakes for Ahsoka. “Have any customer stories?” he asked once the server left.

“God, yes.” She made a face as she flicked her braids behind her shoulders. “When I did a sweep of the bathrooms, I found a used adult diaper stuffed in one of the receptacles. I mean, I get why they wouldn’t wanna bring it out to put it in the garbage, but c’mon!”

Anakin nodded in sympathy. He’d worked in service jobs as a teenager, so he could understand her pain. “Did you at least get to kick anyone out? I know how much you love that.”

“No,” she said with a sigh, “I was working in the box office when a whole bunch of kids got kicked out for sneaking into a rated R movie.” Raising an eyebrow, Ahsoka swirled the ice cubes in her lemonade with her straw. “So why are you in such a good mood?”

Ahsoka already knew about his and Padmé’s unconventional desire for a third, and what a shockingly simple conversation that had been. Afterwards, she would tell him stories of people she met and then say they’d be perfect for him. It was her way of teasing Anakin, which he didn’t mind. Whenever she found out that he was serious about pursuing someone, she cheered him on. After all, her main view on polyamory was that it was too much work, but if everyone involved was happy, she didn’t see the harm.

Grinning, Anakin whispered, “I have a date tonight.”

“No way!” she shouted just as their server brought Anakin his drink, startling the poor woman. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay. Your food should be out shortly.”

After she left, Ahsoka leaned forward. “With who? You didn’t tell me you were interested in anyone, not since that jackass from last year.”

Anakin tried not to cringe. He still didn’t know how he missed the signs. “He lives on the floor below us. Padmé met him too, and she didn’t get any bad vibes.” Anakin definitely wasn’t going to tell her how they all met, but if she asked, he’d just say they bumped into him in the lobby and struck up a conversation. He never felt comfortable talking about his sex life with anyone besides Padmé, and he was especially against the idea of even mentioning he had a sex life to someone he viewed as a little sister.

“Is he cute? Is he your age?”

“He’s very cute,” he said almost defensively as he took the wrapper off his straw, “but I don’t know how old he is. Maybe early thirties.” He knew what was coming. Ahsoka was convinced he had a thing for people who were older than him, considering Padmé and all of the people he’d been attracted to were at least four years his senior.

She didn’t bother hiding her laughter. “I don’t understand why you won’t admit you have a type! I have one.”

“So what’s yours?”

“Athletic women.”

He smiled, not surprised by that answer in the slightest. After all, Ahsoka was one of the two captains for her university’s soccer team. She was already a rising star on the team when he became her math tutor during her freshman year. “Speaking of sports, are you still going to be a captain with this being your final year? I don’t want you to overdo it and burnout before you can graduate.”

“Don’t worry. While I know that I’ll have to deal with like a thousand pages to read each week, long as hell papers, and at least a few group projects, I’m really good at time management. If it ends up being too much, I’ll back down. It wouldn’t be the first time in the team’s history.”

Anakin nodded. At least she had a better understanding of what she could handle than he did in his last year of undergrad. He swore he only survived grad school because he had Padmé.

“And don’t change the subject. What’s this guy’s name, and what do you like about him?”

He almost rolled his eyes at her persistence, but he did the same thing to her whenever she started dating someone. He was just glad he didn’t have to worry as much about the people she went on dates with since she only liked girls. It wasn’t that a girl couldn’t be horrible, but the chance of being raped or killed was drastically lower than when going out with a guy.

“His name is Obi-Wan, and . . . I just like him. I don’t really know how to explain why I do. He’s been nice so far and hasn’t been put off by my awkwardness, so why not give it a try, right?”

They hadn’t really talked much, but there was just something about him that Anakin was drawn to. It reminded him of how he felt about Padmé in the beginning. Once they spent some time with each other, maybe Anakin would be able to give a real reason for why he wanted to be with Obi-Wan.

“Well, I hope it goes well,” she said with the barest hint of a smirk.

He narrowed his eyes at her as he leaned forward slightly. There was obviously something else she wanted to say. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, no reason.” Ahsoka paused to reach out and ruffle his hair, causing him to shoot backwards. Picking up her drink, her smirk became a grin. “You’ve got it bad, Skyguy. The last time I saw that dopey smile, you were telling me about how in love you were with Padmé.”

“I did _not_ have a dopey smile!” No one told him he did that when talking about someone he liked. _That’s not good. How can I be in this deep when we haven’t even gone on our first date yet?_

Ahsoka had the nerve to look amused. “Sure. You just keep telling yourself that.”

Thankfully, she let the subject drop, and they started talking about what movies they wanted to see. If their tastes weren’t so vastly different, they would go together, but Padmé went with Ahsoka whenever a promising horror movie came out. Anakin only saw a horror movie with Padmé once because she was so excited about it being Jewish-themed, and he thought he was going to die at least three times while watching it. She felt guilty the entire ride home, especially since she was disappointed with the movie. Anakin would have to ask Obi-Wan what genres he liked.

By the time they finished eating and got the check, which they always split, Anakin was already feeling nauseous. He still had hours to go, so he had to figure out how to distract himself.

Ahsoka gently nudged his leg with the toe of her boot as she put money on the table. “I can tell you’re freaking out. Remember what you always say to me when I get nervous before a date?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about what they’re thinking. Just be yourself, and if they mock you for it, they’re not worth your time.” Anakin pulled out his wallet and put his half down. “Has that actually helped you?”

Getting up from the booth, she nodded. “It’s hard to stop worrying about how they see me, but you’re right. I shouldn’t try to smother parts of myself just because the woman I like might think I’m weird. I _am_ weird, and if she doesn’t like it, that’s her loss.”

Hearing Ahsoka put it that way made him feel a little better, and he gave her a hug once they stepped outside. “I’ll text you later.”

“Okay. And if he’s a jerk to you, throw up on him.”

Anakin laughed. With all the times he tried to help her with potential girlfriends, she was probably happy to return the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka’s customer story was based on something that happened to me. I have so many stories from that job...


	5. Chapter 5

Obi-Wan’s heart was racing as he stood in front of their door. He’d almost walked away multiple times, coming up with one lie after another about why he couldn’t go out with Anakin that night. He had a cold, there was a family emergency, or even the ridiculous lie that he’d sliced his hand open when cutting a roll and had to go to the ER. But then he pictured himself as an old man, always alone and full of self-loathing. Obi-Wan had to stop being so damn cautious. Even if it didn’t end well, he could at least say he tried. Obi-Wan just wasn’t sure if he could take yet another rejection based on something he had no control over.

He ran a hand through his hair before he knocked, and no matter how hard he tried to push his negative thoughts down, some inevitably kept popping up.

_Anakin hasn’t dated anyone after Padmé, so what if she gets jealous?_

_I’m so out of practice that I just know I’m going to embarrass myself at dinner._

_What if, after I tell him that I’m asexual, he yells at me for wasting his time?_

Padmé opened the door, smiling brightly enough that at least his worries about her being jealous were probably unfounded. “Hello, Obi-Wan.” She stepped aside to let him in. “Anakin will be out shortly. He said you wanted to talk to me before you go.”

“Yes, just to make sure I understand.”

He looked around, noticing their apartment had the same layout as his own, but it had a cozy atmosphere, whereas his apartment resembled a hotel suite, tastefully decorated but impersonal. They’d only been there for a little over a month, and their apartment already looked so much more inviting and lived-in than his. What did they think when he said he’d been there for six years?

“Let me know what you’re confused about, and I’ll try my best to explain it,” she said once Obi-Wan sat on the couch beside her.

“Well, it’s more . . . You _truly_ don’t have an issue with this?”

And out came her beautiful smile once again. “I really don’t. Anakin loves me, and I know that won’t change if he finds someone he also wants to be with. We’ve been talking about this for over two years. It’s just that neither of us have found the right person yet.”

Padmé’s earnestness helped to undo the knot in his stomach. So he wouldn’t become a homewrecker, at least not because he was going out on a date with Padmé’s husband. That didn’t mean complications wouldn’t arise later if this ended up being more than a one-time thing, but Obi-Wan wasn’t going to worry about that at the moment. “Have you always been like this?” At Padmé’s confusion, he realized that was too vague. “I meant, have you always been polyamorous?”

“Oh, I realized what I wanted was a bit different once I was old enough to start dating, but I didn’t know there was a word for it at the time. Anakin didn’t even know there were people like me until I told him. He has such a big heart that I wasn’t too surprised when he confessed he wanted to be in a polyamorous relationship. It’s just that . . . most people are turned off by the idea, which I completely understand, so you being here is kind of a big deal for us.”

Even though that did put a little pressure on him, Obi-Wan found that his tense muscles had slowly relaxed as she talked. Her presence was soothing, like he was being drawn into a warm embrace, and an image flashed through his mind. Padmé and Anakin were sitting on either side of him, holding his hands while Anakin rested his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder and Padmé kissed his cheek. The intimacy of the image startled him to the point that he tensed up again.

Padmé leaned toward him and whispered, “I’m sure you’re nervous, but so is Anakin, and if you behave awkwardly, I promise he won’t make fun of you. He’ll be relieved.”

Before Obi-Wan could say anything, Anakin walked out and frowned, his eyes darting between the two of them. “Padmé, I hope you’re not telling him embarrassing stories.”

Grinning, she straightened up. “Of course not, Ani.”

Obi-Wan had already thought Anakin was handsome—beautiful was more appropriate, even with the facial scar—but in a maroon button-up shirt and black jeans, it was difficult not to stare at him. Even though Anakin had made it very clear he found Obi-Wan attractive, Obi-Wan suddenly felt very self-conscious about his looks.

“Right, too soon for that,” Anakin commented dryly. “Do you need more time?”

It took a couple of seconds for Obi-Wan to realize that question was directed at him. “No, I got my answer.” And it was the answer he’d been hoping for. “Are you ready?” he asked as he stood.

Anakin nodded, giving him a somewhat shy smile.

“Then you should get going, or you’ll be late,” Padmé said while she got up from the couch, and after she walked over to Anakin, he bent down slightly so that she could kiss him goodbye. Then she made some sort of hand gesture that caused him to bark out a laugh, which he tried to cover up with a few coughs. Her mouth twisted in a way that led Obi-Wan to believe she was trying not to smile, and she lightly pushed Anakin in the direction of the door. “Have fun!”

“We won’t be back too late,” Obi-Wan said.

“I’m not worried. Take your time.”

It was strangely comforting that she wasn’t under the impression that they were going to hop into bed with each other.

Once they were out in the hallway, Obi-Wan was hit with the realization that this was the first time he didn’t meet up with someone at the agreed upon location for a date. He didn’t think traveling together, especially for a first date, was the norm, but it would have been odd to go separately when they lived in the same building. Plus, if Obi-Wan had suggested they take their own cars, it would have looked like he was expecting the night to turn sour.

“So my car or yours?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan was about to say that it didn’t matter to him, but then he remembered Anakin wore a prosthetic, so he figured he should offer to drive. He was more familiar with the area anyway. “We’ll take mine,” he said, heading toward the elevator.

“I don’t have a problem with driving, you know,” Anakin said with a hint of annoyance.

Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder. “I didn’t say you did.”

“No, but you glanced at my arm.”

Inwardly cringing, Obi-Wan hit the down button and turned to face Anakin. It looked like they were going to have a conversation about his prosthetic now. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re a bad driver. I just thought it would be easier—”

“Maybe you should have _asked_ me instead of assuming,” Anakin said while glaring at him.

Obi-Wan held up his hands in a placating manner. _And we’re off to such a great start._ “Yes, you’re right. I apologize. Has your car been adapted?”

Anakin shook his head, his glare still in place but with less heat behind it. “It doesn’t need to be. I used to have a knob on the steering wheel, but I took it off once I got the hang of using my new arm.”

The doors opened, and Obi-Wan was dreading the short ride down. Of course he messed up before the date even began. He stepped inside, but Anakin remained in the hallway.

“Look, if this is going to be a problem, let’s just end it here.”

Although he sounded angry, his eyes revealed how hurt he actually was. How many times had someone treated him badly because he had a prosthetic? It made Obi-Wan feel like such a piece of shit. Putting a hand on one of the doors so that they wouldn’t close, Obi-Wan said, “Your prosthetic doesn’t bother me at all. Can we . . . can we start over?”

Anakin deflated with a sigh before he joined Obi-Wan in the elevator car. “Yeah. How about I drive?”

“That’s fine.” The doors shut, momentarily blocking out the rest of the world. In an effort to understand the situation and not let them lapse into an awkward silence, Obi-Wan turned to Anakin and asked, “Is it your entire arm?”

It took a second for him to respond. “No, my prosthetic starts just below the elbow. I was in a car accident when I was 19. That’s how I got the scar on my face too.” He shrugged as he stared at his warped reflection in the elevator doors. “I’ve only had this arm for about a year. I had nothing before that since a decent prosthetic is expensive even with insurance.”

It had to have been traumatic to lose a limb so young, but Obi-Wan kept that thought to himself in case Anakin viewed it as Obi-Wan feeling sorry for him. Actually, he was unsure of what would set Anakin off. Anakin had the right to be annoyed with him for tiptoeing around the issue of his disability like he had, but Obi-Wan didn’t know how just sensitive he was about it. “How advanced is it?” he asked as the doors opened. “I saw the hand move last time.”

Anakin frowned at him before he walked out. “Don’t refer to my prosthetic as something that’s separate from my body. Yeah, I can remove it, but when I’m wearing it, it’s a part of me. So you should say _your_ hand, not _the_ hand.”

It was one mistake after another. Because he allowed himself to get sucked into his work for so long, his social skills weren’t what they used to be. He was an idiot for thinking he could get through the night without becoming a complete failure, but for whatever reason, Anakin wasn’t fed up with him yet, so Obi-Wan tried to swallow down the hopelessness that was threatening to overwhelm him.

He _wanted_ to be happy.

“You’re probably used to this sort of ignorance,” Obi-Wan said.

“Dealing with ignorance is tiring, but as long as the person is willing to learn, and they aren’t being a dick about it, I can handle it.”

“Then I’ll do my best.” Since Americans liked to use the “three strikes and you're out” rule, Obi-Wan was going to have to be extra careful with his words. “So your hand does move, correct? I hadn’t imagined that?”

As they walked through the parking lot, Anakin explained how his prosthetic worked, his somewhat guarded demeanor shifting to boyish excitement. He moved on to talking about high tech prosthetics in general once they were in his car, and with all the engineering jargon, Obi-Wan could only understand about half of what he was saying, but he didn’t mind. Seeing him be so passionate about his interests brought a smile to Obi-Wan’s face.

“And if you don’t adjust the—” Anakin stopped and closed his mouth while a blush appeared on his cheeks. He hunched in on himself a little as looked at the steering wheel. “Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes,” he said quietly.

“It’s alright. What you do is very impressive, and there’s nothing wrong with getting excited about your calling.”

Straightening up, Anakin gave him a hesitant smile as he started the car.

Seeing a push-button ignition used in this context made Obi-Wan realize that the technological advancement wasn’t another example of laziness. Some people actually needed it just to make their lives a little bit easier.

Obi-Wan glanced at his watch. “You made the reservation for 6:00, yes?”

“I did.” His prosthetic hand moved to grip the shifter, and he put the car in reverse. Rather than looking behind him to start backing out of the spot, Anakin stared at Obi-Wan’s wrist with raised eyebrows. “My god, you actually use a watch that only tells the time? How old _are_ you?”

He didn’t normally wear it, but he thought it’d be rude to take his phone out to check the time while on a date. With a watch, he could be discrete about it. “You make it sound like I should be in a retirement community just because I have a watch,” he said, mirroring the amusement he heard in Anakin’s tone. “I’m only 37.”

“There’s no way you’re 37!” Anakin shouted, his eyes comically wide.

“How old did you think I am?”

“Like 32, 33 at most.” He finally started backing the car up, doing so almost as smoothly as someone who didn’t have a prosthetic arm. “Shit, I’m never gonna hear the end of it from Ahsoka,” he muttered.

Obi-Wan had been told that he didn’t look his age before, but he thought his exhaustion made him appear older. He hoped finding out the truth didn’t make a difference to Anakin. “Who’s Ahsoka?”

“She’s like a little sister to me.” He drove around the parking lot with ease, but he mostly used his left hand to steer. “I took a year off after getting my Bachelor’s and worked as a tutor. Ahsoka was terrible at math, so I spent a lot of time with her. Then there were some muggings near campus that made her really nervous, so I offered to teach her self-defense, which was when we started to become friends. And she swears I have a thing for older people, but I don’t. It’s just a coincidence.”

He decided not to ask why Anakin took a gap year after college instead of after high school. His reason could be too personal. “Isn’t Padmé your age?”

Anakin grinned. “She’ll love that. No, she’s 30. I really doubt the board would’ve given her the job if she was 26. As it is, she’s really young for her position.” He paused. “I don’t remember if I told you that she’s a library director.”

Her having some knowledge about editing suddenly made sense. “You hadn’t. Is she a director at a public library or an academic one?”

Obi-Wan had loved libraries ever since he was a child. He often went to his local library because it was the only place he could stay at for hours without anyone bothering him. Obi-Wan had fond memories of summers spent with his nose in dozens of books, many of them nonfiction. He wanted to learn about _everything_. Once he hit sixteen, he focused more on fiction, using the stories as an escape from his increasingly volatile home life. Never had he thought such stories would be an integral part of his adulthood.

“Public. She’s all about helping the community through teaching life skills and providing safe spaces for kids. Even though it’s a stressful job, she loves it. Donations have increased since she took over, so I’m sure the board isn’t regretting their decision. They said something about needing change, so that’s probably why they hired a much younger person.”

There was a mixture of pride and adoration in his voice, making Obi-Wan relax a bit. Of course Padmé was confident that her husband wouldn’t leave her, not when he spoke of her like that. Obi-Wan doubted he would have a negative impact on their relationship, at least not immediately.

“Damn, I’m sorry,” Anakin said abruptly. “We’re on a date, and here I am going on about my wife.”

It was still a bit strange, but Obi-Wan was slowly getting used to it. “Well, she’s obviously a big part of your life, so I’d like to learn more about her. That’s what we’re doing tonight, isn’t it? Getting to know each other better?”

Anakin smiled as he went from sitting ramrod straight to leaning into the back of his seat. “Yeah.”

Obi-Wan knew he should come out to Anakin, but fear paralyzed him. _Doing that in the car isn’t a good idea because if he reacts horribly, I’m trapped with him. But I’ll be trapped with him at the restaurant as well since he’s my ride home. I suppose I could call a taxi._ He kept coming up with reasons—excuses—not to say anything. In the end, Obi-Wan settled on telling him once they returned home, unless the date didn’t go well. Optimism was never something Obi-Wan had an abundance of, but he was trying to hold onto it. They really shouldn’t have come in the same car. Obi-Wan could have told Anakin he had something that needed to be taken care of immediately before dinner, so he’d just meet Anakin there. He was such an idiot for not thinking of that earlier.

“So why’d you go freelance?” Anakin asked casually as he pulled up to a stoplight. “Couldn’t stand the office setting?”

“Yes.” He supposed that wasn’t a total lie, but that was a topic he didn’t feel comfortable talking about, so he switched the conversation around. “Do you work in an office?”

“Sort of. I mean, I have my own desk, but I do a lot of work in the lab. They’re finally letting me work on their high tech prototype. I want to see if I can shorten the delay between muscle movement in the residual limb and movement in the bionic hand. It’s myoelectric, but it’s way more advanced than mine, and I think—” Anakin cringed as he drew his shoulders up slightly. The light changed, and they moved forward just as a few raindrops hit the windshield. They were only supposed to get a light rain. “Sorry. You can just tell me to shut up when I do that.”

Obi-Wan frowned. Who kept berating Anakin for talking about what he loved that he felt the need to apologize for it twice in one night? He couldn’t see Padmé doing that. “Anakin, I really don’t mind. Go ahead and ‘nerd out,’ as my friend would say.”

Laughter filled the car, and Anakin was no longer holding himself stiffly. “That sounds funny coming out of you with your British accent.”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘British accent,’” Obi-Wan said with a sigh. It was something he was tired of correcting, but he felt the need to do it every time. “Saying I have an English accent would be good enough.”

“Uh, okay.”

Anakin’s silence for the next couple of minutes made Obi-Wan realize that he’d come across as a little rude, but it would be awkward to apologize for it after that much time had passed, so he didn’t know what to do.

“Thanks for not thinking I’m annoying,” Anakin said eventually.

That was an unusual thing to be thanked for. Obi-Wan had no idea what the proper response was. “You’re welcome.” _No. No, that sounded very bizarre. Good job with that one._

Anakin didn’t have an outward reaction, and he remained quiet for the rest of their short ride.

By the time Anakin pulled into a parking spot at the restaurant, Obi-Wan was doing his best not to panic. Had that been the third strike? Was the date over before it had truly begun? He was so pathetic that he couldn’t even last 15 minutes. Anakin was probably going to tell him to get out and find a ride home before he drove off, leaving Obi-Wan out in the rain. When Anakin turned to him, Obi-Wan tried to reassure himself that at least he was being rejected for something that could be fixed in the future.

“My driving was fine, right?”

Obi-Wan looked at him in surprise, and it took him a moment to find his voice. “Yes. No complaints from me.”

“Good.” Anakin smiled at him, clearly relieved. “See, the car accident was actually my fault. I was a reckless driver, thought I was invincible.” His smile faded, and he rubbed the back of his prosthetic hand as he looked out through the rain-streaked windshield. “It was such a bad wreck that they told me I was lucky to be alive, so I was beyond happy that no one else was involved. I couldn’t live with myself if I was responsible for someone’s death.”

Anakin undid his seatbelt, and when their eyes met, Obi-Wan was struck by the sadness and determination he saw in his expression. He admired Anakin for being able to talk about such a painful event, but he hoped Anakin didn’t expect him to open up in return.

“I don’t mean to get so heavy. I just wanted you to know that I will always be a careful driver.”

Again, Obi-Wan didn’t know what to say, so instead of possibly embarrassing himself, he simply nodded before he undid his own seatbelt.

“I think I have an umbrella in here somewhere,” Anakin said as he turned around. “Padmé complains that I sometimes forget to put it back after I use it.” He stretched to look on the floor behind their seats. “Either it’s rolled to where I can’t reach or I forgot to put it back.”

“Well, it’s not raining much, so I think we’ll be alright.” When Anakin was facing him, Obi-Wan asked, “Can your arm get wet?”

“With the glove on, yeah.”

“Forgive me if this is an inappropriate question, but why black?”

A corner of Anakin’s mouth quirked upward. “You can ask me about my prosthetic. If you were to ask me to see what my arm looks like without it, then we’d have a problem. Because, y’know, that’d feel like you want to gawk at the poor guy who’s missing an arm.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Obi-Wan said softly. He tried not to think about how often Anakin dealt with people openly staring at him before he’d gotten his prosthetic.

“Well, I chose black because the skin tone gloves freak me out a little. They’re meant to look life-like, but . . . ” He shrugged as he made a face. “From far away, the skin tone gloves can sometimes fool someone into thinking that’s the arm the person was born with. So while black does stand out more, it lessens the chance of dealing with people staring at my arm in shock or disgust when they get close enough to be able to tell something about it doesn’t look right.”

“I take it you had a skin tone glove at first.”

Anakin nodded as he opened the door, but then he quickly shut it. The rain had just started to come down harder, proving once again that the weather forecasters were completely unreliable. Anakin looked at him with a playful smile. “Wanna make a run for it?”

Obi-Wan smiled back. “Sure.”

Being on a date while soaking wet wasn’t what Obi-Wan had in mind, but he found that he didn’t even care. After they placed their orders, Anakin did most of the talking. Obi-Wan learned that Anakin started taking things apart just to see how they worked when he was five. Anakin’s mother married a man named Cliegg when Anakin was 12 and although Anakin wasn’t all that fond of the man, he mostly got along with his step-brother, Owen, who was a few years older. Anakin told him about how challenging college had been, but that it made graduating feel like such a great accomplishment. All of Obi-Wan’s nervousness melted away as Anakin talked. It helped that he had a lovely voice.

Anakin’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “Wow, you must think I’m so full of myself. I haven’t asked anything about you.”

“Not at all. I’m having a wonderful time.” And he truly was. After a rough start, their date was going very well, and Obi-Wan was afraid of what would happen if Anakin asked him questions he didn’t want to answer.

He smiled as he looked down at his plate. “Me too.”

It was endearing that Anakin could go from confident to shy so quickly. He wanted to reach out to Anakin, maybe stroke the back of his hand, but the urge frightened him. Instead, he went back to cutting his chicken.

“Not to be too invasive or anything, but are you only interested in men?”

That wasn’t what Obi-Wan thought he’d start with. “No.”

“So you’re also bi?”

“I suppose.”

Anakin cocked his head to one side. “You’re not sure, or is it just that all those labels are too confusing?”

“There _are_ a lot of labels.” Obi-Wan had read that it technically wasn’t correct to call oneself gay or bisexual when one was ace, but “biromantic asexual” sounded odd to him. He wasn’t entirely sure if bisexual even fit him since some definitions of pansexual were more accurate. It was all very frustrating. “Actually, I was a late-bloomer since I didn’t realize I also like men until I was 29.”

Anakin’s eyebrows rose. “Well, I’ve heard of people not figuring themselves out until they were in their 50s,” he said once he finished chewing. “I’ve known since I was about 15. Had a huge crush on one of my classmates. Out of curiosity, I looked for him on Facebook a few years ago, and he ended up becoming a right-wing fuckface.”

That startled a laugh out of Obi-Wan. “Well, for me, it was better that I didn’t know until after I moved to the States.”

“Why?”

He was thankful that he’d just taken a bite since it gave him time to formulate an answer. How stupid of him to say something that referred to his parents. If he made it clear that he was uncomfortable, maybe Anakin wouldn’t push. “My parents are closed-minded people, and I’m sure word would have gotten back to them somehow if I started dating a man.” After all, they’d somehow found out about other aspects of his life.

If his father ever found out that he liked men, he would probably fly over just to beat the shit out of him. Obi-Wan had been terrified of anyone finding out he wasn’t straight for a full year, but after working with an openly gay client who incorporated gay and bisexual characters into his stories, he’d gradually become less stressed about it. He ended up reading a lot of books on the subject of coming out and dealing with growing up in an anti-gay household. Even though he wasn’t gay, it was close enough. Obi-Wan later searched online for other resources, and that was how he came across the word “asexual.” Seeing that he wasn’t alone, that he wasn’t broken, had filled him with such joy, and the more he read, the more he grew to accept himself.

Anakin moved his left hand on the table so that it was resting close to Obi-Wan’s drink, almost as if he was trying to offer comfort without touching him. “I’m sorry you had to grow up with that.” Then he took his hand back and picked up his own drink. “When did you move to the US?”

Obi-Wan was so relieved Anakin wasn’t dwelling on it. “When I was 25. I became friends with an American exchange student at university, and we stayed in contact after he left. He suggested I room with him when I mentioned I was thinking about moving out of the UK. Quin makes me want to rip my hair out at times, but he’s a good friend.”

Boosted by Satine’s reaction, Obi-Wan told Quin he was ace when he next saw him a few weeks later. It took reading some online material for Quin to realize that Obi-Wan wasn’t going through a phase or was sexually repressed, and he changed the nature of his teasing when it came to people he thought Obi-Wan liked. Obi-Wan felt they’d grown closer in the end, so he didn’t regret telling him.

“Do you miss England?”

“Sometimes,” Obi-Wan said with a shrug, “but I’m happy here.” _Liar._

Anakin grinned. “Well, I’m glad you took your friend up on his offer, or we wouldn’t have met.”

He smiled back. “Very true.”

They spent the rest of their dinner asking each other about their likes and dislikes, and it had been far too long since Obi-Wan felt that relaxed. The car ride home had a more casual atmosphere than the ride to the restaurant, but the closer they got to their building, the quieter Obi-Wan became. He liked Anakin, and he knew he should tell him the truth about himself, especially if Anakin didn’t think he could be with someone he’d probably never have sex with. Obi-Wan’s optimism was slowly dwindling as his anxiety returned.

“Thank god the rain stopped,” Anakin said once they were in the lobby. When Obi-Wan only nodded, Anakin laid his hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Hey, are you alright? You didn’t say much in the car.”

“I’m fine.” As they waited for the elevator, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Would you like to stop in for some tea?”

Anakin laughed, and he shrunk away from Obi-Wan slightly. “Is that a euphemism?”

“What? No!” He didn’t think about how that would sound, but at least it was obvious Anakin wasn’t looking to have sex that night. “I meant real tea, to drink. It’s not a ploy to get you into my bed.”

Anakin stared at him for a moment as if he was debating on whether Obi-Wan was lying or not, but after they stepped into the elevator car, he only hit the button for the second floor. “Okay. Do you have any fruity tea?”

“I have blueberry.” It was Satine’s favorite, so he always made sure he had some in stock.

“I like blueberries,” Anakin said pleasantly.

They didn’t say anything until they entered his apartment, and Obi-Wan could feel a bead of sweat roll down his back. “Have a seat,” he said while he went into the kitchen.

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m alright.” Making tea always calmed him down, allowed him to think more clearly, but it would look strange if he stayed in the kitchen while he waited for the water to boil. So after he got two mugs set up, earl grey for himself, he went back out into living room and sat next to Anakin. His heart was pounding. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“You’re married.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “No.”

“You’re an FBI agent and feel that I’m in grave danger.”

“What are you— Anakin, I’m being serious. This isn’t easy for me.”

Anakin angled himself toward Obi-Wan and sat up straighter. “Right, sorry. Go ahead.”

“I’m . . . ” He had it all planned out in his head, but he decided to scrap it in case it sounded like he was reading from a script. That was what he’d been told in the past. “I’m not like most people. I don’t experience sexual attraction, and I’m not really interested in sex. There’s a good chance I will never sleep with you, and if that’s a problem, this ends here.” Obi-Wan had maintained eye contact as he spoke, but now he couldn’t bear to see Anakin’s reaction. It felt like a full hour had gone by before Anakin said finally anything.

“Huh, that, um . . . That’s definitely not what I thought you were going to say.”

There was another long pause, and Obi-Wan’s shoulders drooped slightly. He knew Anakin needed time to process all that, but any hope that this would go well was nearly crushed.

“Maybe you just hadn’t met the right person.”

_Oh, no._

“Or maybe you should see a doctor.”

_Not this again._

“Were you abused as a kid?”

That made him glare at Anakin. How could he ask something like that? Obi-Wan stood up from the couch just as the kettle started to beep. “Get out.”

“What?”

“Get out. Clearly, this was a terrible idea.” Obi-Wan walked toward the kitchen, grateful for the distraction of the kettle. “I don’t know why I thought you would be any different.”

“Obi-Wan, I—”

“Just go!”

Once Obi-Wan heard the door shut, he wasn’t in the mood for tea anymore. He briefly entertained the idea of getting drunk, but drinking alone always made him feel worse, so he left the mugs on the counter and went into his office. Burying himself in his work to the point of becoming numb to the pain of loneliness was a habit he never tried to break, but he didn’t even have the energy to lift his hand to open his laptop.

Sitting in his desk chair, Obi-Wan replayed the night’s events in his mind. The rough start was cringe-worthy, and he still couldn’t believe that Anakin was willing to give him a chance after that, but at least he wasn’t awkward at the restaurant. In truth, before they returned to their apartment building, he was already looking forward to going out with Anakin again.

But it was all a tease. Obi-Wan would never find anyone who accepted him, and he was such a fool for opening himself up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, but don’t worry. Obi-Wan won’t suffer for very long at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Anakin stared at the door for a moment before he walked toward the stairwell. He had no idea what went wrong. Obi-Wan told him he didn’t like to have sex, and then he got mad just because Anakin was confused? Anakin would have gotten mad himself if Obi-Wan hadn’t said that last bit.

_“I don’t know why I thought you would be any different.”_

That left him feeling cold. He’d assumed Obi-Wan hadn’t dated in years because he was too busy with work, but maybe it was because he wanted a romantic relationship without sex, and he couldn’t find anyone who would agree to that. Obi-Wan must have thought Anakin was rejecting him when Anakin just didn’t understand how someone couldn’t feel sexual attraction and not have a problem with it. How many other people had thrown him to the side after he revealed that part of himself?

He should have made it obvious that he still wanted to go out with him. Sex wasn’t everything to Anakin, and there were other ways to demonstrate love, so a lack of sex wasn't a roadblock to having a relationship with Obi-Wan. Anakin really had enjoyed their date, enjoyed being with him, and he’d be fine if the most intimate thing they could do was cuddle. _But what if he hates cuddling? We’ll have to talk about what his boundaries are . . . if he’ll want to talk to me at all._

Once Anakin returned to their apartment, Padmé looked up at him with a hopeful smile. “So how’d it . . . ” She trailed off as her smile faded, and she put the book she was reading down on the end table. “Oh, Ani. I figured since it’s this late, dinner must have went well.”

“It did. I had a great time.” He sat on the cushion next to her, his head bowed, and when he looked at his prosthetic arm, he remembered the way Obi-Wan had stumbled. Anakin had forgiven him, so he hoped Obi-Wan would forgive him too. “He invited me in for tea, and I screwed up.”

Padmé wrapped her arm around him. “Tell me what happened.”

He did, and she winced when he recounted his last question to Obi-Wan. _God, I basically asked him if he doesn’t like sex because he was molested. What the hell is wrong with me?_

“Ani, you don’t ask someone if they were abused as a child.”

Anakin sighed, wishing he could just sink into the couch. He couldn’t believe how horribly he reacted to Obi-Wan opening up to him. “Yeah, I realize that now. Have you ever heard of anyone not experiencing sexual attraction?”

“No, but if it doesn’t bother him, does it really matter if it’s normal or not? People don’t need to have sex to live, so he’s not hurting himself.”

That was a good point, one he wished he’d thought of before he opened his big mouth. “I need to fix this, Padmé.”

She let go of him and brushed his hair behind his ear. “Then go down there and apologize.”

As he gave her a quick kiss, he remembered the question she’d told him to ask Obi-Wan. “Hey, do you still want to pursue him? I did ask, and he’s not gay.”

“I’d like to give it a try,” she said, cupping his cheek, “but you need to see if the damage done isn’t too much for him.”

Anakin kissed her again and practically ran out of the apartment.

Sliding down the railing in the stairwell, he arrived in front of Obi-Wan’s door in less than a minute. Anakin knocked, and after no response, he called out to him. “Obi-Wan, it’s Anakin. Can we talk?” Still nothing, so he knocked again and waited. Thinking maybe Obi-Wan was in another room, he tried the buzzer. “Please . . . I was a dick, and I’m sorry.” Finally, the door opened and Obi-Wan’s shuttered expression made Anakin’s gaze drop to the floor. “I’m so sorry. Please, can we talk?”

Obi-Wan didn’t say anything, but after a few tense seconds, he sighed and opened the door wider so that Anakin could come inside. Once it was shut behind them, Obi-Wan said coldly, “I don’t want to hear about how you think I’m broken.”

“What?” Anakin’s eyes widened as the air escaped his lungs in a rush. Obi-Wan had been thinking such a horrible thing ever since Anakin had walked out the door. _I’m the worst. I bet he hates me._ “I never said you’re broken.”

Obi-Wan sat in the armchair, probably so Anakin couldn’t sit close to him. “It was implied.”

“I didn’t think that at all,” he said as he took a seat on the couch, “and I’m _so_ sorry my confusion came across that way. It’s just not something I ever heard of, but I want to understand it.”

Obi-Wan’s expression shifted slightly, and he looked more wary than anything. “There are enough people like me that there’s a name for it. I’m asexual, or ace for short.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. “‘Ace’ sounds pretty cool.” When Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh, Anakin took that as a positive sign. “So this is something that will never change?”

“Correct.” His posture was quite rigid, as if he was waiting for Anakin to tell him that he only came to apologize for how he reacted, but he didn’t want anything to do with him.

“Okay.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “‘Okay’?”

Wanting to be closer to him, Anakin moved forward so that he was sitting on the very edge of cushion. “I don’t care that you never want to have sex. There’s more to a relationship than that.” He paused and looked downward, afraid that no matter what he said, Obi-Wan would never forgive him. “I really like you, and if I haven’t ruined everything, could we go out again?” The silence that followed was disheartening, but Anakin refused to push him. It was probably a very delicate situation for Obi-Wan, and as hard as it was to be patient, Anakin would let him take all the time he needed to make his decision. He owed him that much.

“A lack of sexual attraction doesn’t mean a person never has sex.”

Anakin looked up, grateful that he wasn’t being told to leave.

“And I said there is a good chance I won’t have sex with you, not that I never will. It’s not something I typically desire, and there are certain aspects that I know I will always be uncomfortable with, but I _might_ be willing to try again.”

That was far more than he expected. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened the last time you tried?”

Obi-Wan finally relaxed into the back of the armchair. “I couldn’t go through with it, but that could have been due to the person I was with. They were a bit too . . . enthusiastic.”

“Then I’d let you take the lead on anything related to sex.” If Obi-Wan wanted to go out with him again, they were definitely going to have to talk about boundaries at some point.

For the first time since Anakin came back to apologize, Obi-Wan smiled. “I would appreciate that very much. I have one question, though.” At Anakin’s nod, he asked, “Did you tell Padmé about this?”

He winced and slid backward on the cushion. He hadn’t been thinking that he was outing Obi-Wan. “I did. I was sort of freaking out over how badly it ended, but it wasn’t my secret to tell. I’m sorry.”

Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed his temples.

“But she was fine with it! I mean, she’d never heard of someone like you either, but she made the point that it doesn’t matter if it’s normal or not if it doesn’t bother you, and it obviously doesn’t. I mean, you seem to accept who you are.”

Obi-Wan’s hands fell onto the armrests in surprise, but he didn’t make a comment about it. Instead, he looked at the wall where a clock was hanging. “It’s late.”

“Right, I should go.” Anakin stood and walked to the door, but he hesitated when he was about to reach for the lever. “Um, you never answered my question.”

“Yes, we can go out again,” Obi-Wan said as he walked up to him.

He grinned, and standing so close together, he desperately wanted to kiss him. “Let me know when you have some free time. Since I picked what we’d do, you can have a turn. No pressure, of course. If you want, I can pick again.” _Just ask him, you doofus._ “Hey, uh, are you okay with kissing?”

“I am, as long as no tongue is involved.”

That was weird, but Anakin could work with it. He cupped Obi-Wan’s cheek, and the thought that he’d never kissed someone with a beard floated through his mind. Although Obi-Wan kept his hands to himself, he did close his eyes, so Anakin took that as an invitation and leaned forward, careful not to bump noses. He simply pressed his lips to Obi-Wan’s, and his heartbeat sped up just as when he’d first kissed Padmé, which was definitely a sign, especially since it was the most innocent kiss Anakin had ever given a partner. He lingered for a few seconds before he reluctantly pulled away, hoping Obi-Wan felt some kind of connection.

Obi-Wan looked at him with an unreadable expression, but then he slowly reached up and brushed the curls away from Anakin’s forehead. “Good night, Anakin,” he said softly.

Hearing the fondness in Obi-Wan’s voice made him unable to form an immediate reply, but he returned the farewell once he stepped back. After Anakin left and shut the door behind him, he sighed happily because _that_ was how he’d wanted the date to end. He couldn’t wait to tell Padmé.

\------

Once two hours had passed, Anakin took the cheesecake out of the fridge and cut a slice for Padmé. He hoped getting up extra early wasn’t for nothing.

“It’s delicious, Ani,” she said before taking another bite.

“Thank you!”

Anakin trusted her opinion above his own since he tended to be a little too self-critical. He only had absolute confidence in his abilities to build, repair, or improve, which he’d been doing for much longer than baking. Baking was something Anakin fell in love with after the neighbor who regularly babysat him showed him how to make jam thumbprint cookies. His mom was great at cooking, but not baking, so he tried to learn as much as he could. He wanted to make all sorts of tasty treats for her to look forward to after a long day at work. It wasn’t something he could lose himself in, but he enjoyed it for the way it brought happiness to others.

Padmé had the right idea about baked goods making the perfect apology. It worked the first time with Obi-Wan, and Anakin had promised to give him some cheesecake anyway. He split the cheesecake in half, putting two slices in the fridge and the rest in the freezer, before he shot a text off to Obi-Wan to make sure it would be alright if he dropped by.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” Anakin asked as he stepped out of the kitchen.

“Yes, I’d rather let you two have more alone time together. I was thinking about asking him out for some tea during one of my lunch breaks. You know, to make sure he’s not still freaking out about dating a married man.”

Anakin chuckled and gave her shoulder a squeeze when he walked behind the couch. “I don’t think he is, but he did say that he wants to know more about you, so I doubt it’d take much convincing to get him to go.” He stopped at the door to slip his shoes on, careful to not drop the plate. “Well, meeting in the middle of the day could be a problem. I think he’s a workaholic.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Padmé said with a shrug.

Anakin didn’t know what he’d do if Obi-Wan and Padmé ended up disliking each other, but he was pretty sure that wouldn’t happen. At the very least, they’d bond over their love of books. He just hoped them spending time together would lead to a romantic relationship, even if it took a while for them to get there. But he’d worry about that later. For now, he just wanted to give Obi-Wan some cheesecake and maybe talk for a bit.

It didn’t take long for Obi-Wan to answer the door. “Hello,” he said with a smile. “What do you have there?”

Anakin beamed and held the foil-covered plate up a little higher. “Cheesecake! Don’t worry. It’s only five slices, and you can put most of it in the freezer if you want. Just be sure to wrap the pieces individually.”

“Thank you.” His fingers brushed Anakin’s as he took the plate from him. “Do you want to come in? I do still owe you a cup of tea.”

“I’d love to, but only if you aren’t too busy.” He didn’t want to become a distraction from Obi-Wan’s work if he truly didn’t have the time.

Stepping aside, he shook his head. “I usually give myself Sundays off.”

“Right. I forgot you told me that.” Anakin followed him into the kitchen and sat at the table that was even smaller than the one he and Padmé had. “What do you do on Sundays?”

“Catch up on the three shows I bother to watch or find an interesting documentary.” Obi-Wan took the foil off and made a pleased sound. After he put water in the kettle and turned it on, he got two mugs down from the cabinet. “Sometimes I’ll read.”

“Don’t you get tired of reading since that’s basically your job?”

“I’ll read nonfiction. Would you like a piece?” he asked while he reached out toward a stack of plates.

“No, thank you. I have the other half upstairs. What sort of nonfiction do you like?”

“All kinds. I’m quite diversified in my interests, always have been. Right now, I’m reading a book on the American funeral industry. It’s quite fascinating.” He finished setting up as he talked and put the rest of the cheesecake in the fridge. From the way Obi-Wan was eyeing the piece he put aside for himself, he was really looking forward to eating it.

Anakin remembered the comment Obi-Wan made about not eating much and hoped that wasn’t the case again. He didn’t know how to ask about it without coming off as a mother hen, especially when their relationship was so new. “I stick to fiction when it comes to books since I’d rather learn about the world through documentaries. You must think that’s lazy, though.”

“Not at all. For some people, it’s easier to retain information if it’s received visually.”

It was nice to find someone else who understood that. “So in addition to giving you desert to apologize for my screw-up—”

“That wasn’t necessary.”

“Well, I was planning on giving you some cheesecake whenever I did make it. I just decided today would be the day.”

“You weren’t the only one at fault. I nearly caused our date to end before it had even started. However, I’m afraid that I would make you sick if I baked something for you.”

Anakin laughed. “It’s fine. But as I was saying, in addition to the cheesecake, I wanted to have a conversation with you before we go out again.”

There was that wary look Anakin had seen the previous night. Obi-Wan crossed his arms while his gaze briefly fell to the floor. “What about?”

“Your boundaries. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so what are you okay with when it comes to non-sexual contact with a partner?”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows shot up, and it took him a moment to respond. “I’ve never been asked about non-sexual boundaries, so I haven’t given it much thought.”

That nearly broke Anakin’s heart, but it made sense. If every other partner had rejected him after finding out he was ace—Anakin still thought that was a great name—knowing his boundaries wouldn’t have mattered. He wondered if Obi-Wan always told his partners on the first date or if he learned from experience that it was better to reveal it early on as a way to possibly lessen the backlash and not feel like he was wasting his time with someone. Anakin had to stamp down his anger toward the people who had hurt him, but some anger leaked through because Anakin himself had also hurt Obi-Wan, even though it was only for a short time.

“Well, how do you feel about cuddling?”

Obi-Wan frowned, but before he could answer, the kettle beeped. His movements were fluid rather than stiff as he busied himself with preparing their tea, so Anakin didn’t think he’d stepped over any lines. Obi-Wan was probably using the time to think.

“We don’t have to discuss this now,” Anakin said while their tea was steeping, “but I would like to talk about it at some point.”

“Now is fine. You just caught me off guard.”

After Obi-Wan handed Anakin a mug, he took his own mug and the plate of cheesecake and nodded toward the entryway, so Anakin walked back into the living room. He sat on the other end of the couch, hoping that Obi-Wan would sit next to him rather than in the armchair. To Anakin’s delight, he did sit next to him, but there was enough space between them that Anakin figured he should keep his hands to himself.

Obi-Wan took a bite of cheesecake and closed his eyes while he chewed. “This is heavenly,” he said once he swallowed. “You truly have a gift.”

Anakin smiled and looked down at the floor while he quietly thanked him. Deciding to let Obi-Wan answer him when he was ready, Anakin blew on his tea, which had a surprisingly strong aroma. He took a careful sip so as not to burn his tongue and enjoyed the mixture of sweet and tart. “This is really good tea.”

He paused in taking another bite and looked at Anakin with amusement. “I think it’s awful, but I’m not a fan of blueberries. I only have it because it’s Satine’s favorite.”

“She comes here? I guess that makes sense since your home doubles as an office.”

After Obi-Wan finished chewing, he said, “We’re friends. Having been her editor for eight years, we’ve grown quite close.”

“Does she know you’re ace?”

He nodded, his mouth full with his last bite. Obi-Wan had practically inhaled the slice, so either he loved it that much or he was starving. “And I haven’t answered your question.” He set the plate down on the coffee table and picked up his mug, but he simply held it instead of taking a sip. “I have never ‘cuddled,’ so I don’t know if that’s something I’m comfortable with, but I wouldn’t mind trying it. As for any other non-sexual activity, I have no issue with hugging and holding hands.”

Anakin waited for him to continue, but all Obi-Wan did was drink some of his tea. _That can’t be it. Maybe he needs more examples._ “Okay, what about massages?” At Obi-Wan’s raised eyebrow, Anakin waved his hand back and forth. “I don’t mean— Like, sometimes I’ll give Padmé a foot massage, or she’ll rub my shoulders. It’s completely innocent.”

“Oh, well, I’m not sure about being on the receiving end, but I can try giving one. I can’t say if I’ll be any good at it, though.”

Anakin put his mug down and shrugged. “If you’re not, don’t worry about it. Do you not like anyone touching your hair?”

Obi-Wan blinked at him. “My hair?”

He’d jumped from one thing to the next a little too quickly, which was probably why Obi-Wan was confused. _Slow down. You don’t want to scare him._ “Yeah, it feels nice when someone brushes your hair or runs their fingers through it or plays with it. I’ve actually fallen asleep from Padmé running her fingers through my hair.”

Probably needing a moment to think about it, Obi-Wan drank more of his tea. “I honestly don’t know how I feel about that. Do you have some sort of mental checklist of non-sexual activities?”

If Obi-Wan wasn’t giving him a slight smile, Anakin would have thought that his questions were intrusive. He didn’t want to step over any boundaries while trying to figure out what Obi-Wan’s boundaries actually were. “No, I’m only thinking about what I do with Padmé and if those things would make you uncomfortable. Hugging and holding hands isn’t a lot, so I’m guessing you’re not the most affectionate person.” The way he said that made it sound like there was something wrong with Obi-Wan. He closed his eyes as he hung his head. “It’s completely fine if you aren’t. I didn’t mean to imply— I’m sorry.” Anakin hesitantly looked at Obi-Wan to see what his reaction was, but it was difficult to get a read on him.

“I’m just not used to it, that’s all,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

What was he referring to? Was he saying that he wasn’t used to receiving affection? Not for the first time, Anakin wondered what kind of childhood Obi-Wan had. He clearly didn’t like talking about his parents. All Obi-Wan had told him was that they were closed-minded people, but maybe they were a bit distant too. And it was possible that his exes weren’t very affectionate if they were so quick to leave him. Granted, Anakin was making a lot of assumptions based on very little information, but he was too afraid to ask Obi-Wan about it.

Obi-Wan leaned forward and put his mug down on the table before he turned to face Anakin. “Let’s do this: if there’s something you’d like to do with me, ask me first, and I’ll tell you if I’m comfortable with it or not. I think it will be easier to figure it all out as we go.”

Now Anakin felt stupid. He should have done it that way to begin with instead of taking the risk that he’d overwhelm Obi-Wan with so many questions. “Sounds good.” _That did not came off as casual at all. Why am I so bad at this? It’s a miracle Padmé didn’t get rid of me after a week._

Obi-Wan’s expression softened. “I do appreciate the effort, Anakin.”

Having realized that he’d hunched his shoulders, he relaxed them and smiled a bit. Anakin had to remind himself that Obi-Wan could be awkward too, so it made sense that Obi-Wan wouldn’t treat him harshly for being the same way. “I did look up asexuality last night. There are a lot of terms and variation within the sexuality itself, and the more I read, the more confused I got.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I find it all rather confusing myself, so I don’t even bother with most of the terminology.”

That actually made it easier. What Anakin had to learn was specific to Obi-Wan, and he could only learn that from Obi-Wan himself. “It’s alright if I ask questions?”

“As long as they’re not inappropriate, I don’t mind.”

“Inappropriate?” When Obi-Wan gave him an icy look that had him shrinking back a little, he understood. “Yeah, I really am sorry about that. It didn’t hit me how awful that question was until I was telling Padmé what had happened.”

Sighing, Obi-Wan picked up his tea and drank the rest of it. He stared at the empty mug, turning it in his hands, before he glanced at Anakin and asked, “She genuinely isn’t bothered by this?”

“You mean you being ace? She feels the same way I do in that there’s more to a relationship than sex, so it’s not a deterrent for her at all. ” Obi-Wan immediately straightened up and looked at him with wide eyes, which had Anakin doing a mental backpedal. _Oh, shit._ “That-that came out weird. She doesn’t— I mean, she likes you, but not— You’re both into books, so she’d like to talk . . . to you.”

Obi-Wan clearly wasn’t buying it since he looked like he was seconds away from leaping off the couch.

“God, she’s gonna kill me.”

Anakin wanted to bury his face in his hands. He was such a fuck-up. What if he’d just ruined her chance? She was so much better at courtship than he was, so Obi-Wan might have fallen for her.

“Padmé . . . is also interested in me,” Obi-Wan said evenly. He took a deep breath while he rubbed his eyes, his body sagging forward slightly. “That’s a bit much.”

Anakin just barely kept himself from wincing. “I know, but she wasn’t going to do anything about it until we’d gone out for a while.” He wasn’t going to beg Obi-Wan to give her a chance, even though he really wanted to. If they could at least be friends, Anakin would be happy, but Obi-Wan might be uncomfortable with that now. Maybe Padmé could have an honest conversation with Obi-Wan so that he’d realize she’d never pressure him into anything. “If you tell Padmé that you don’t want to be in a relationship with her, she’ll back down, no questions asked. I promise.”

Obi-Wan leaned heavily into the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I’m not sure what to think about all of this.” Turning his head to the side to look at Anakin, he said, “Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’ll speak with her and . . . go from there, I suppose.”

At least he was willing to talk to her about it. “Are we still okay?” Anakin dreaded the answer, but he had to know.

Obi-Wan’s hand slowly moved across the cushion until his fingertips were touching Anakin’s thigh. “Yes, we’re fine.”

That was a relief, but he wasn’t looking forward to Padmé’s disappointment in him. Anakin covered Obi-Wan’s hand with his own and gave it a light squeeze. “I should go.” Although he wanted to kiss him, he didn’t think it would be right, not after what he’d just denied Padmé, denied all of them, really. They all could have been happy together. _No, I have to be optimistic. It’s possible I didn’t kill her chance. Or maybe none of this even matters because Obi-Wan can only ever be with one person at a time._

“Thank you for the cheesecake,” Obi-Wan said as he took his hand back.

“Yeah, no problem.” He stood and reluctantly walked toward the door. “Let me know when you want to go out again.” Obi-Wan followed him, and he suddenly looked much older, making Anakin feel guilty for accidentally dumping Padmé’s feelings onto him.

“I will. Enjoy the rest of your day, Anakin.”

“You too.”

_I am such a terrible husband._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it’s taken me so long to update. The last couple of weeks have been a little chaotic. Updates won’t be as frequent as they were before, but I might put out shorter chapters so that I’m not updating only once a month.

“Anakin! Why would you do that?” Padmé couldn’t believe he was that careless, but seeing him hunched in on himself as he kept his gaze downward made her anger short-lived. Sighing, she patted the spot next to her on the couch, and once he sat, she turned to him and said, “I forgive you.”

“You do?” he asked softly as he peered up at her.

The hope in his voice made Padmé want to hold him and never let go. Instead, she cupped his face and brought his forehead down to touch her own. “Of course. It was an accident, and Obi-Wan hadn’t outright said he wasn’t interested, so I might be able to fix this.”

She was going to give Obi-Wan until the following night to think it over before she contacted him, but a few hours after Anakin had told her what he’d done, she received an email from Obi-Wan asking if they could talk. Padmé was actually relieved that she wouldn’t have to worry about it all day at work. Even though she could focus on her job without letting whatever personal issues distract her, the second she had a break, her thoughts would swirl around to the point of making her feel sick. To avoid that, Padmé would end up working nonstop until it was time to go home, which wasn’t exactly a healthy coping mechanism.

Anakin had been quiet since his apology, choosing to sequester himself in the room he’d set up as his workshop, and no amount of reassurance that she wasn’t upset would coax him out.

Standing in the doorway of his workshop, Padmé watched him run tests on the robot he’d been building for the last six years. It was quite large, coming up to her waist, which was fine with her since she didn’t have to be afraid of stepping on it when Anakin let it have free range of the apartment. It kept bumping into things last time Anakin turned it on, so he was trying to figure out what was wrong with its “eye.”

Once his robot was complete, he was going to enter it into a robotics contest that ran every year in Coruscant, and the prize money would be substantial enough to cover the remainder of what he owed for graduate school. Padmé still didn’t understand why he didn’t want any help in paying off his debt. Any time she tried to bring it up, he would awkwardly change the subject or practically flee the room.

“I thought you decided on giving it proximity sensors,” Padmé said.

“But he was doing okay before,” Anakin said as he set his tablet down, “so I need to fix his photoreceptor lens first. Or it could be the wiring . . . ” He stared at the robot for a few seconds before he continued. “I know people and animals don’t only rely on sight and sound to get around, so at least it won’t feel like I’m cheating by adding the sensors.” He patted its domed head affectionately.

While some people thought it was strange how attached Anakin was to his creations, Padmé thought it was cute. Once he gave his robot something akin to a brain, he always referred to it as “he” or “him,” but Padmé still couldn’t get out of the mindset that it wasn’t actually alive, so it felt strange to use gendered pronouns.

“I’m going downstairs,” she said bluntly, and Anakin’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. “Obi-Wan sent me an email, so we’re going to have a chat over some tea.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, but then he sighed as he slouched a little. “I hope it goes well.”

“Me too.” Padmé walked up to him and laid a kiss on top of his head. “I’ll see you later.”

It was difficult to form a plan when she had no idea how Obi-Wan was feeling. What Anakin told her wasn’t very helpful, and he could sometimes misread a situation anyway, so she would just have to play it by ear.

Taking a deep breath, Padmé knocked on his door and waited. Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to answer it. “Hello, Obi-Wan,” she said pleasantly.

“Hello.” He stepped back as he opened the door wider.

His expression was too neutral for her to make any kind of guess as to how their conversation would go. _He would make a killing in poker._ Padmé sat when he gestured toward the couch, but he kept walking until he was at the entryway to the kitchen.

“I made raspberry iced tea this morning, but it’s unsweetened. I found that adding sugar to fruity herbal tea ruins the flavor.”

“Oh, you brewed it yourself?”

Obi-Wan smiled a little. “Yes. I couldn’t call myself English if I didn’t have a cupboard full of tea.” He chuckled at her look of disbelief. “I’m only kidding. It’s half a cupboard, and I didn’t start drinking herbal tea until I came to the States.”

She grinned, relieved that he was comfortable enough to joke around with her. Maybe he wasn’t going to reject her after all. “Well, I’d love to try it. Thank you.”

Obi-Wan nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

He didn’t appear to be stressed, but it could just be that he was very adept at hiding his emotions. Padmé was still hanging on to her hope that their conversation would go well. If he said that he wanted to see how it went with Anakin for a little while before trying anything with her, she would completely understand. In fact, she would be ecstatic that he was willing to try at all.

Padmé thanked him when he came back out and handed her a glass of dark red tea. As Obi-Wan sat in his armchair, she took a cautious sip and was pleasantly surprised to find a hint of something floral mixed in with the raspberry. “This is quite good, certainly nothing like what you buy in the store, and I think you’re right about adding sugar.”

“I’m glad you agree,” he said before drinking from his own glass. He held it in his hands for a bit as he looked down at the floor, and Padmé let him have the time to gather his thoughts or maybe work up the courage to say whatever it was he wanted to tell her. “So just how often does Anakin get himself into trouble with his lack of a brain-to-mouth filter?” he asked once he finally looked at her.

She laughed. “Not as often as I’m sure you think he does. He’s looked like a kicked puppy ever since he came back from your apartment, but I’m not angry with him. Well, I was at first, but it’s so hard to stay mad at Anakin.”

“Yes, his apologies are very sincere, and he has that . . . face.”

“It _is_ a very a pretty face,” she said while nodding.

Obi-Wan sighed and put his glass on the coffee table. “How does this work, exactly? I reread the article you sent to me and tried looking online for more information. I understand how someone can have romantic feelings for to two people at the same time, but the logistics of it still don’t make any sense, especially when it comes to an actual triad and not just a V.”

That boosted her optimism because if he never wanted to be in a relationship with her, he wouldn’t have tried to do research on the subject. “Well, it’s different for everyone, but communication is _very_ important. We would all talk about what we want and what our boundaries are, and we would let each other know if any of that changes.” Something flashed in Obi-Wan’s eyes, but it was too quick for Padmé to decipher it. “You and I don’t have to do anything,” she said gently. “If you’re open to the idea but don’t want to move forward with it just yet, I am completely fine with that, and I would also understand if you can’t be involved with more than one person at a time. It is entirely your decision.”

He was quiet as he seemed to process what she’d said, his gaze focused on the glass in front of him. “And me being asexual really doesn’t bother you?”

“Not at all.”

“Why are you even interested in me?” he asked as he looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Isn’t attraction based on the fact that you want to have sex with that person at some point? Both of you wanted to become involved with me after having spoken to me for roughly 20 minutes, and now both of you claim to have no issue with the fact that you may never sleep with me. How is that even possible?” Obi-Wan abruptly stood up from the armchair and began pacing, his voice almost taking on a hysterical edge. “No one wants to date someone without hoping they get to have sex with that person. Are you trying to tell me that _both of you_ decided you wanted to get to know me better based on that very short meeting without even _thinking_ about taking me into your bed? I’ve been chewed up and spat out enough times to know that relationships can’t last without sex, that people think I’m a waste of space—”

“You are no such thing!” Padmé had heard enough, and she realized that Obi-Wan probably hadn’t handled Anakin’s interest very well at first. Knowing she was also interested in starting a romantic relationship with him was obviously too much to comprehend when he was used to people rejecting him for who he was. Of course Obi-Wan would have trouble believing there were _two_ people who wouldn’t even think of doing that. She had to choose her next words very carefully. “Obi-Wan, sex is only one way of expressing how you feel about someone,” she said calmly as she stood and walked over to him. “I’m sure you’re aware that people can get themselves off if they really feel the need, and it’s not like either Anakin or I would have to become celibate to be with you since we have each other. As for attraction, it’s different for everyone. For some, it does start with sexual attraction, but for me, I’m attracted to how someone looks, and that attraction will grow or fade depending on their personality. Sex comes later. For Anakin, it comes _much_ later.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Normally, I don’t like to talk for other people, but I think it’s better that you hear this now.” She hoped Anakin wouldn’t mind. “He isn’t comfortable with having sex until he’s developed an emotional connection with that person, which takes time. He was actually afraid you would want to rush things.” His eyebrows shot up, but when it became clear he wasn’t going to say anything, Padmé took a chance and lightly touched his arm. The fact that he didn’t move away from her was encouraging. “My interest in you has nothing at all to do with sex. My first thought when I saw you was that you’re very handsome, and after we talked, I wanted to get to know you better, preferably with all of your clothes on.” Not wanting to push her luck, she smiled as she let her hand drop to her side. “My second thought was that we were way off the mark in assuming you were in your 60s.”

Obi-Wan laughed, effectively breaking the tension, and he walked around her to sit on the couch. “Then I didn’t succeed in not sounding like a grumpy old man in my note after all.”

Happy to see that he was slowly relaxing, Padmé sat next to him. It must have been reassuring to Obi-Wan that she was still there after he’d gotten his worries out in an almost explosive manner. At least he hadn’t reached his breaking point in front of Anakin. That could have been a disaster.

“I truly am sorry that you heard us. It must have been even more awkward for you since you’re asexual.”

“Not particularly,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not repulsed by the act. I just don’t want to hear or see it unless I’m actively seeking it out, which I’ve only done a few times in my life.”

Padmé didn’t want to assume anything, especially since her knowledge of asexuality was incredibly limited, but she wasn’t sure how open he was to questions about himself. For many, sexuality was very personal, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Obi-Wan was reluctant to discuss it.

“Ah, I don’t mean seeking it out from other people,” he said quickly, his face turning a bit red. “The Internet . . . ”

She immediately understood and saved him the embarrassment of having to say he looked at online porn. “Right, what would we do without the Internet?”

Obi-Wan smiled and looked away from her. “You must think I’m awfully strange.”

“You’re different, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, don’t you think _I’m_ strange? I was so afraid of what your reaction would be to the article I sent. My own parents don’t even know about that.”

“So I would be your secret then?”

Something about his tone didn’t sit well with Padmé. It almost sounded like resignation, and it made her think that all the times he’d been rejected by people, whether romantically or not, had put a large dent in his self-esteem. Padmé stopped herself from reaching out to take his hand, but she did move a little closer to him on the couch. “Only at first. I’d want to see if we could all make this work before I upset them, but please don’t think it would be your fault. Me saying I’m polyamorous when just being with Anakin would be a nightmare of a conversation. They’d eventually get over it, though.” Once Obi-Wan visibly relaxed again, she asked the question she’d been putting off ever since setting foot in his apartment. “Do you want to give this a try?”

After a minute or two went by, his eyes locked onto hers. “I do, but only if I settle into something with Anakin, and I don’t know how long that would take. However, I don’t mind us meeting casually in the meantime for a cup of tea. I just can’t date two people at once right from the beginning, especially not after five years of having been completely on my own.”

Padmé was beyond thrilled and couldn’t stop herself from grinning. She really had no idea what his answer was going to be. If it worked out, her dream of being part of a triad would come true. “I have absolutely no problem with that. If you’d like, I can suggest some websites and books that will help you to better understand polyamory. The article I sent is really just a brief overview.”

“Yes, please,” he said with a slight smile. “And if I have any questions about how this would work within our specific context, may I ask either of you?”

“Of course. And on that subject, are there any good resources on asexuality? We were both a little confused when we tried looking it up.”

Obi-Wan’s smile grew wider. “I’ll be right back.”

While he was gone, Padmé took the opportunity to look around from her spot on the couch. She wasn’t able to the last time she was there since she was focused on Obi-Wan himself and on reeling Anakin in. The living room was sparsely decorated, and there weren’t any photographs of loved ones, but maybe there were photos in his bedroom or office. Although Padmé wouldn’t say it was a dreary atmosphere, it wasn’t the most welcoming space she’d ever been in. She’d seen staged houses and apartments look homier.

“This has helped me a great deal,” Obi-Wan said as he walked back into the room.

The book he handed to her appeared to be brand new, but she didn’t doubt that he simply took very good care of his books. At least it wasn’t too thick, so it wouldn’t take her and Anakin very long to read it. “Thank you. How long have you known that you’re asexual?” She figured that was a safe question.

He sat down a tiny bit closer to her than before. “Well, I didn’t learn that there’s a word for who I am until I was 32, but I’ve known I wasn’t like everyone else ever since I was about 13.”

Padmé had actually forgotten how old he was. When Anakin told her Obi-Wan was 37, she thought he was joking. “So for 19 years, you had no idea there are other people like you? That must have been horrible.”

“I managed,” Obi-Wan said casually, but when Padmé raised an eyebrow, he sighed. “Yes, it was difficult. Of course it was. I accept who I am, though. Trying to find others who do as well has been . . . interesting.” He flashed her a smile that she took to mean he didn’t want to discuss it any further.

Padmé wasn’t going to bring up her own struggle with sexual identity, that it took her years to finally realize she was bisexual. She would save that topic for another day. Instead, she drank the rest of her tea because her mother taught her when she was a child that it was rude not to finish what someone offered to her. “Thank you for the tea, Obi-Wan, and I’ll return the book once Anakin and I have gone through it.”

“Take your time. It’s been years since anyone has taken it upon themselves to learn about this part of me. I just wish it had gone a little smoother.”

“You mean you wish Anakin’s initial reaction hadn’t been so tactless.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “To be honest . . . I thought I was dreaming when he came back down and apologized. Whenever someone made those insensitive remarks, I never heard from them again. Well, one of my friends did think it was a phase, but he asked for information on it when I told him I’m not the only one, and making an effort from the start means a lot to me.” He paused. “I suppose I should have explained myself a little better to Anakin when I came out.”

Padmé rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Everything’s fine now, though. He’s really looking forward to the second date.”

“I’m not dreaming, right?” he asked when she stood up.

After everything Obi-Wan said to her, she wasn’t surprised that he had trouble believing someone actually wanted him. “I promise that you’re very much awake.”

\------

Sola stared at her while yellow sauce dripped from the sandwich she held in front of her mouth. Just then, a new song began playing over the café’s speakers, and her eyes darted upward as she grimaced. Both of them hated that song. “I’m sorry. He what?”

“Anakin went on a date,” Padmé said simply. “Remember that downstairs neighbor I told you about?”

Putting her sandwich down, Sola leaned forward and whispered, “You mean the guy you and Anakin were keeping up at night? That was only a little over a week ago. Anakin works fast.”

She shrugged. “He really likes Obi-Wan, and you know how hard it is to find someone who’s okay with our arrangement.” Padmé had told Sola she was polyamorous the day she’d learned the word, and Sola never judged her for it, but she agreed that telling their parents would be a mistake, at least not until it was absolutely necessary.

“And how do you feel about it?” Sola asked before she went back to eating her lunch.

“I’m happy for both of them. I had a very good talk with Obi-Wan on Sunday, and after he’s gone out with Anakin for a bit, we’ll give it a go.” Padmé laughed when Sola stopped chewing and widened her eyes. “You know I always wanted to be in a triad. I have no idea if it’ll work, but I’m really excited about it.”

“Do you at least have a picture of this Obi-Wan?”

Padmé shook her head while she stabbed her salad a few times. “As Anakin told me on the day we met him, he’s gorgeous. He certainly doesn’t look 37.”

Sola hummed approvingly. “An older man. Very nice. Is he Jewish?”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s a shame. It would soften the blow for Mom and Dad.” She paused to take a sip of her drink. “Speaking of Mom, she’s now beginning to annoy _me_ about your lack of kids. You’d think she’d be satisfied with the two grandchildren she already has.”

Padmé rolled her eyes. She had told her mother they were waiting until they could afford a house. Given how much both her and Anakin made and how little they spent, it probably wouldn’t take them too much longer to have a decent down payment, maybe another year or two.

“I think she’s only getting like that because it’s almost been a year since you got married,” Sola continued. “Do you have any idea as to what Anakin’s planning for your anniversary?”

“No, but I made him promise not to go overboard. And, really, Mom needs to calm down. I’m only 30. What if she also gets on Anakin’s case the next time we see her? I won’t be able to hold my tongue if she makes him uncomfortable.”

“I doubt she’ll bother him about it.”

Sola was right. Once their parents deemed any boyfriend or girlfriend—Padmé was so thankful that was never an issue—to be a good person, they did their best to behave themselves. The most their mother had done was ask Anakin how many children he wanted, and she’d been delighted by his answer of four or five. Padmé put her limit at three, at least for the moment, but she might change her mind after the first one. If she decided she wanted more, most of those kids would be adopted because four or five births sounded horrifying. _Oh, but what about Obi-Wan? Does he even want kids?_

After Sola finished her sandwich, she checked her phone. “We still have a few minutes before I have to go back to work.” The library was across the street, so Padmé had a bit more time, but Sola’s office was a 10 minute drive away. “I’m so glad we were able to get together. Staying cooped up in your office all day isn’t good for you.”

“I’m not actually in my office all day, and we do have a lunch room. I socialize.”

“You work too much.”

“I do not. I leave at a decent time almost every day, and I don’t bring my work home with me.” _Well, I usually don’t._

Sola crossed her arms as she raised her eyebrows. “I remember what you were like in school, and you barely got any sleep at all during grad school. You’ve had this position for over six months now, and you’re telling me having that much responsibility isn’t making you fall back onto bad habits?”

“I’m making the effort not to.”

Padmé knew she sounded petulant, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. It was an old argument, one she’d hoped had been left in the past once she told her sister that Anakin felt neglected because she spent so much time at work. He never said her job was unimportant or even that she should come home sooner, but his increasingly quiet demeanor worried her enough that she eventually got it out of him. He was starting to think she didn’t want to marry him anymore, and finding that out had been Padmé’s wake-up call that she really was overdoing it. Once she shifted her schedule around a bit and stopped taking on more than she had to, her level of stress improved, as did their sex life. Padmé never wanted to go back to the way she was before.

Just as she was about convince Sola that she wasn’t a workaholic, Obi-Wan entered the café. Her eyes wide, she watched as he walked up to the counter and placed his order. He never even looked up at the menu, which meant he’d been there often enough, but she couldn’t remember seeing him there before. Maybe he usually went at odd times of the day.

“What are you staring at?” Sola asked as she took a peek behind her. “If you’re checking out that guy at the counter, I’m glad to see your taste in men has improved.”

That snapped her out of it. “Hey, Anakin is handsome.”

“He’s too pretty,” she said with a shrug. “He should grow a beard.”

Padmé looked back at Obi-Wan and debated if she should call him over or not. Meeting her sister might not go over well since Sola could go a little overboard with her teasing. “No, it doesn’t come in right. He showed me a picture of when he tried once, and it was the saddest beard I’d ever seen.”

Sola laughed, and for whatever reason, that caught Obi-Wan’s attention. He was visibly startled by seeing Padmé at the table, but he quickly recovered and gave her a small wave, which she returned.

“Wait, do you know him?”

“That’s Obi-Wan,” she whispered. “Please, don’t be weird about it.”

“Since when am I weird about anything?” she whispered back.

Obi-Wan walked over to them after he paid for his order. “Hello, Padmé. On your lunch break, I presume?”

At Sola’s gasp, Padmé desperately wished she hadn’t suggested they go out for lunch that day.

“You didn’t tell me he’s British,” Sola said. She was acting as if that was scandalous in an effort to be funny.

_I’m going to kill her._

Afraid that Obi-Wan would think she was gossiping about him to a friend or coworker, Padmé calmly said, “Obi-Wan, this is my sister, Sola. She knows about the whole poly thing, and she likes to be obnoxious when it comes to the people I’m interested in, so you’re better off ignoring her.”

“Hey, I resent that!”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Obi-Wan said with a slight smile. “I didn’t know Padmé had a younger sister.”

Sola blinked up at him for a second before she looked over at Padmé. “You better hold onto this one.” Then she turned back to Obi-Wan and asked, “So what do you do for a living? Have you ever been married? Do you have any kids? Are you Jewish?”

“Sola! Let him be.” Padmé leaned over and laid a hand on his arm. He didn’t seem overwhelmed, but he was frowning. “I’m sorry. I did explain to her that we aren’t actually dating yet. It would be too soon for a round of 25 questions anyway,” she said as she shot her sister a glare.

Sola grinned at her.

“It’s alright. Do you always eat lunch together?”

“No,” Padmé said as she took her hand back, “but we try to see each other at least a few times a month. Sola doesn’t live far from here.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but his name was called out by one of the employees. “Well, that was quick. I’ll let you get back to your lunch.”

“Oh, please stay,” Sola said as she got up from her chair and started to gather her trash. “I have to get going since I don’t work right across the street. It was very nice to meet you, Obi-Wan, and I’m sorry for all the questions. I was only trying to annoy Padmé.”

Obi-Wan smiled again, but it looked a little forced. “I understand. Have a good day.”

“You too! I’ll talk to you later, Padmé.”

As Sola walked out, Obi-Wan raised a finger to signal he’d be right back.

Relieved he wasn’t going to run off after grabbing his food from the counter, Padmé drank the rest of her coffee. She didn’t know Obi-Wan well enough to get a read on him, but it felt like something had made him uncomfortable. Padmé would have to have a serious talk with her sister. Joking around was fine, but not before getting to know the person.

When Obi-Wan paused after he returned to the table, Padmé gestured to the chair across from her. “Only if you have the time, of course. I have just under 10 minutes.”

“I can spare that,” he said as he pulled the chair out.

“I really do apologize about my sister. You should have seen how she was around Anakin when they first met, but at least the teasing made sense. We’d been dating for three months.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “It’s fine, really. She just caught me off guard.” This time, his smile looked genuine. “You can report back to her that I have not ever been married, I do not have children, and I am not Jewish. I take it you are?”

“Yes, but I don’t care that you and Anakin aren’t. Neither does Sola, for that matter. It’s just that our parents wanted us to marry nice Jewish boys, so Sola thought that if this does work out with the three of us, you being Jewish would have helped.”

“I see. Well, despite being raised Catholic, I’m not a religious person. Religion has done nothing for me.”

His bitter tone surprised her, but she wasn’t going to ask him to elaborate, not when she didn’t have much time before she had to return to work and especially not when they were in the middle of a café. Instead, she brought the subject back to herself. “I was pretty religious when I was a kid, even tried learning Hebrew at one point, but I just became so busy as I got older, and I stopped going to synagogue regularly.” Even though her parents understood, she’d felt guilty about that for months. “I always go for the holidays, though. Anakin went for Rosh Hashanah the first time it came up after we started dating, and he got so restless because the service is incredibly long, which I had warned him about. We talked about it afterwards, and we decided it was best that he goes to the family gatherings for all the holidays, but he stays home for the services. My parents appreciated the effort, at least.”

“Do you get along with your parents?”

She huffed out a laugh. “Most of the time. I butt heads with them every so often, and Sola told me our mother is being a real pain about me not having any kids yet.”

“You don’t want children?”

“I do, just not right now. Both Anakin and I agree we should wait until we have a house.” Padmé hesitated a moment before asking, “How do you feel about children?”

He shrugged as his gaze fell to the table. “I don’t mind them, but I don’t think I’d make a good father.”

Padmé wished she hadn’t asked because she couldn’t just leave it at that. What could she say, though? If she told him he was wrong, he’d simply bring up the fact that she didn’t know him well enough to state an opinion on the matter. And she couldn’t ask him why he thought he wouldn’t be a good father since his reason had to be very personal. The longer Padmé went without saying anything, the more distressed she became. What if he thought her silence meant she was judging him?

Obi-Wan cringed. “Now I’ve made you uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You didn’t,” she said a little too quickly. “This just isn’t the time or place for such a conversation, so I apologize for asking you about it.”

He looked at her with a slight frown and opened his mouth as if to speak, but he closed it and slouched a little in the chair, his frown deepening. “Both of you . . . I just don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand what?”

Instead of answering her, Obi-Wan took his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen before putting it back. “I believe your lunch break is about to end,” he said while he stood and grabbed his bag off the table. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble on my behalf.”

“No one would report me for being a few minutes late.” Padmé stood as well and stepped in front of him, not willing to let him go when he had that strange look in his eyes, like he felt he was wasting her time. “You’re worth it, you know,” she said quietly so as not to be heard by the other patrons. “And you’re allowed to be happy, so if you think being with Anakin or being with both of us would make you happy, please don’t deny yourself that. Whatever is holding you back, we can all work through it together.” _Or Anakin and I can suggest you see a therapist if it’s that bad._ Obi-Wan only stared at her with his eyebrows raised and lips parted, so she turned back to the table to get a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse. After scribbling her phone number on it, she handed it to him and said, “Texting is easier than talking through email.” After he wordlessly took the piece of paper from her, she gathered her trash and her purse and gave his arm a slight squeeze as she walked past him. “I’ll see you later, Obi-Wan.”

Just as her work day was about to end, her phone buzzed to indicate she’d received a text message. Assuming it was Anakin asking if she could pick something up from the food store, she waited until she was in her car to look at it, but seeing it was from Obi-Wan had her kicking herself for not looking earlier. A smile spread across her face as she read the text because if they took it slow, maybe they really could all be together someday.

_< I apologize for not saying goodbye earlier. Both of you are extremely confusing people, and I’m not used to this at all, but thank you. Truly.>_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Anakin built Threepio in canon, but given what resources are available to Anakin in this universe, I think Artoo is more realistic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I haven’t had much time to write lately, but I hope that’ll be changing soon.
> 
> Content warning for a very brief mention of abortion.

After having a few days to let it all sink in, Obi-Wan finally allowed himself to believe that Anakin and Padmé really did want to be with him, but the fear that they would realize they couldn’t handle his many boundaries was still lurking in the back of his mind. He knew they weren’t lying when they said his asexuality wasn’t an issue, but just because they felt that way now didn’t mean they wouldn’t change their minds later. Padmé had made a good point in that the two of them had each other, so they wouldn’t have to go without sex just to be with Obi-Wan, making him cautiously hopeful that a relationship with either of them was indeed possible. While he knew there was more to a relationship than sex, the emphasis placed on physical intimacy led him to believe no one would put up with him. Because they were being so considerate about his boundaries, Obi-Wan was open to trying sex again, but he already knew he wouldn’t be comfortable with a whole lot.

Knowing it would at least be a few months before he’d have to worry about that, he tried his best to push those thoughts aside. He had to focus on the present, like what he and Anakin should do on their second date. Dinner again? A movie? A walk in the park? If he continued to struggle with coming up with an idea, he could just ask Anakin to pick something, but he didn’t want Anakin to do all the work every time.

“I need a break,” he muttered to himself.

Obi-Wan pushed his chair away from his desk and decided it was time to have a snack. He grabbed his phone on the way, taking it off of silent and shooting Satine a quick text to let her know that he was going to send his suggestions to her that night. He didn’t have much left to go over, so unless he really had trouble getting back on track, sending her the file before he went to bed was completely realistic.

Amazingly, Satine wasn’t constantly asking him about his dating life. He’d told her how the date had gone, and she had demanded that he give her Anakin’s number so she could “shame him to the point of tears,” but she calmed down when Obi-Wan told her the rest. He was going to wait to tell her about Padmé’s feelings toward him since he wanted to see if he could actually handle dating two people at once. With Satine having no experience of her own, it wasn’t as if he could go to her for advice anyway.

His phone chimed just as he set it on the counter.

_< Fantastic! Now you have one less distraction. When’s the second date?>_

He huffed out a laugh and typed up his reply. < _I was wondering when the pestering would start. I still have to think of what we could do. I’m terrible at this. >_

Opening his fridge, Obi-Wan surveyed its contents and frowned at how little there was. It had been over a week since he’d last gone grocery shopping. With not much to choose from, he decided on the last slice of cheesecake Anakin had given him. As he unwrapped it, he received another text.

_< I am not pestering. And you said he’s a romantic, yes? What about a stroll on the beach?>_

Obi-Wan had thought of that, but then he’d remembered Anakin’s offhand remark at dinner about not liking sand because he grew up in a desert town. < _I don’t think he’s a beach person_. > Obi-Wan picked one of his green tea blends and set up the kettle before he took a bite of the cheesecake. It tasted better when it wasn’t straight out of the fridge, but he couldn’t help himself.

_< Alright, did you go online? There must be lists for this sort of thing.>_

Although that would feel like cheating, he didn’t really have much of a choice if he wanted to avoid asking Anakin. < _I’ll take a look. What about you? Has anyone caught your eye lately? >_ Obi-Wan wasn’t trying to steer the topic away from himself. He genuinely wanted to know. Satine did a lot of volunteer work, so she could have met someone.

It took a minute to receive a reply. < _Yes, but it went nowhere. Apparently, I am too “melodramatic.” >_

Obi-Wan wasn’t going to say that she could be at times because she was already aware of that, even though she vehemently denied it whenever it was brought up. < _I’m sorry it didn’t work out. You’ll find the right person for you. You’re quite the catch, you know. >_ After his tea was done steeping, he chose to be lazy and only rinsed out the remnants of tea leaves from the infuser. He’d wash it later.

_< I sometimes still wish you were that person.>_

That made his shoulders droop. Had she really been hoping he would change his mind? It’d been years since that drunken night. Before he could decide on whether he should ignore the text or not, his phone chimed again.

_< I’m sorry. I just realized how that came across.>_

While he waited for an explanation, he realized they were being silly. Talking over the phone would make more sense than having such a conversation via text message. He started to type out that he was going to call her when another text came in.

_< I do think we’re better off as friends. It’s just that it would be easier if we could be more than that. (Finding someone is so exhausting, as you well know.)>_

Obi-Wan understood what she meant. If he hadn’t still wanted to be her developmental editor, he’d wished he had returned her feelings. Satine was the first person who accepted him. But he knew that wasn’t a guarantee their relationship would have been a good one. She might not have been able to deal with his many boundaries as his partner, which was probably why she said they were better off as friends.

_< It is exhausting. It’s funny how I ended up with someone when I wasn’t looking, but perhaps that is the key.>_

_< Perhaps. I hope the next man I date has never even heard of my books_. _Dating a fan is awful. >_

Obi-Wan laughed. < _Yes. I can imagine it would be. >_ He finished his cheesecake in a few bites and brought his mug with him to his office. It was time to get back to work. When his phone went off again, he was about to tell Satine that he was going to finish going over her manuscript, but she wasn’t the source of the text. Instead, Anakin had sent him a greeting, and another text popped up immediately after.

_< I’m sure you won’t see this for a little while but I hope you’re having a good day so far>_

At the end of the text was a face blowing a kiss, which made him smile. Obi-Wan never thought he’d receive such texts, let alone actually enjoy receiving them. Romance wasn’t very appealing to him and any time he witnessed sappy displays of affection in public, he rolled his eyes. But it was different with Anakin. He actually wanted to hear all the reasons why Anakin liked him, wanted to try cuddling with him, wanted to feel loved even though he didn’t deserve it. Obi-Wan’s desire to hold Anakin in his arms was still a bit startling since he’d never felt that way about anyone, but it didn’t frighten him like it did before.

 _< You caught me at the end of my break_. _I’m nearly done with Satine’s manuscript, so today is a good day. How are you? >_

It didn’t take long to get a few replies. Anakin typed very quickly for only being able to use one hand. _ <I’m taking a late lunch break myself / Awesome! / I’ve had a very productive day so I’m happy>_

 _< That’s good to hear.>_ Obi-Wan hesitated before he typed up his next text. < _Do you like outdoor activities? >_

_< Sure! I’m an adventurous kind of guy. Why do you ask?>_

Anakin must have already known, but he probably wanted clarification. Obi-Wan told him that he was trying to figure out what to do for their second date, and he was having more trouble than he’d anticipated. He tried not to make it sound like he wanted Anakin to come up with an idea. He just needed to be pointed in the right direction. While waiting for his response, Obi-Wan calculated how much more time he could spend on texting. He really did have to get back to the manuscript, but at the same time, he wished he could keep talking with Anakin. It helped knowing that Anakin also had to get back to work at some point.

_< Sorry. Coworker was talking to me / Please don’t stress about it. We could do dinner again if you want>_

Obi-Wan was tempted to do just that, but he didn’t want Anakin to become bored with him. < _No, I’ll find something. Are you free this Sunday? >_ Just because he was nearly done with Satine’s manuscript didn’t mean he wasn’t busy. He had other clients, after all, and it was easier for him to concentrate on a Saturday.

 _< I don’t have any plans>_ Anakin ended the text with a winking face.

He’d already gotten used to Anakin’s love of emojis, but he still got confused every now and then, so after teasing Obi-Wan for being old, Anakin promised to keep it simple. Obi-Wan himself had only used a smiling face once or twice when he’d been afraid Anakin would mistakenly think he was annoyed with him.

 _< Then I’ll keep searching after I finish her manuscript.>_ He figured that was a good way to end the conversation.

_< Okay I’ll talk to you later>_

Considering Satine hadn’t replied in the time he was chatting with Anakin, he let the conversation go and put his phone back on silent. They didn’t usually end a conversation with a “good bye” anyway.

Once Obi-Wan was done with her manuscript a few hours later, he slouched in his chair with a sigh. Satine’s book would definitely sell. In his opinion, it was her best story. The addition of the Jedi as actual characters after the few scattered references in the other books made the conflict much more interesting, at least to Obi-Wan. Plus, it widened the scope of the universe in which Mandalore resided. He was proud of how far she’d come from in the last eight years.

After he sent the manuscript to her, he began searching online for dating ideas. The weather on Sunday was supposed to be perfect for doing something outside, but just in case they got a surprise rain shower, Obi-Wan figured he should have a backup plan. Lunch had a different atmosphere than dinner, so it technically wasn’t the same thing.

The amount of lists was overwhelming, but at least it was easy to narrow it down. He wasn’t looking for a cheap date, and a cute date sounded like something for teenagers. Then he found a list of adventurous ideas, which felt like a sign since that was the word Anakin used to describe himself. Obi-Wan wasn’t as fit as he used to be, so it couldn’t be anything too rigorous, but one of the ideas was canoeing on a river or lake, which couldn’t be too difficult. A quick search let him know that there was a boat rental company not far from them.

“We should meet up at the location this time,” he murmured. While Obi-Wan wasn’t expecting there to be a problem if they drove together, it was better to play it safe, especially when they still didn’t know each other that well. Hopefully, Anakin wouldn’t take offense to the suggestion.

He grabbed his phone and took it off silent before sending Anakin a short text. Knowing Anakin put his phone on “do not disturb” once he went to bed, Obi-Wan wasn’t afraid of waking him. < _How does canoeing on Theed River sound? >_ Since he wasn’t planning on working on any of his other clients’ manuscripts that night, he shut his computer down and twisted in his chair to crack his back. He really needed to move around more or at least invest in a chair with better back support. Quin told him he was going to have the posture of an 90-year-old by the time he hit 40, and Obi-Wan was starting to worry he might be right.

His phone chimed as soon as he got up.

_< That sounds like fun! I’ve never gone canoeing before but it can’t be any harder than rowing>_

If it wasn’t for the late hour, he would have asked Anakin why he was even in a rowboat. Instead, he told him they would talk more tomorrow, to which Anakin replied with “thank god it’s almost Friday.”

Since Obi-Wan worked on Saturdays, he didn’t have that sense of relief on Fridays, and working from home wasn’t the same anyway. He didn’t dread a certain day of the week, and he didn’t really look forward to any particular day either. However, when he still worked for the publishing house, he dreaded every weekday to the point where he had to convince himself to get out of bed. Going freelance was a risky move, but after years of hell, he needed to get away from the office setting. He was lucky that he had some loyal clients who refused to work with other editors after he left, and good word of mouth, along with some job hunting on a freelance website, helped him obtain new clients.

He wished Anakin a good night and was mildly surprised by how excited he was about spending time with him. Of course, he was still nervous, but it wasn’t anywhere near the degree as before their first date. And canoeing on a river did sound like it would be fun. It’d been so long since he’d tried something new, and since it would be new for Anakin as well, he wouldn’t feel embarrassed if he struggled with it at first.

Obi-Wan woke up the next morning to a text from Satine, thanking him for finishing ahead of schedule, and a few emails about job prospects. Being a freelance editor meant he could very easily be without income for long stretches, so he liked to be prepared. It helped that he’d never gotten into the habit of spending above his means.

When he was checking his phone during his lunch break, he was surprised to see a new text thread from Anakin. It was a short video of a robotic hand sent to both him and Padmé, and the fluidity of its movement had Obi-Wan raising his eyebrows.

_“Cool, huh? I thought you’d be interested to see what I’ve been working on.”_

Right before the video ended, it panned to the right to reveal that the prosthetic was actually attached to Anakin.

Obi-Wan was not only amazed with how far technology had come, but also with what Anakin was capable of. Even though he was just testing it out and fixing the kinks, it was still extremely impressive that he could make any sense of that prosthetic at all. Anakin had told him he’d been building a robot from scratch for years, and Obi-Wan was very curious about seeing what it could do.

Below the video was a reply from Padmé. _< Wow! I can’t believe you got it to move like that! You’ll get a promotion in no time.>_

Since Obi-Wan didn’t want to repeat what she said, it took him a minute to come up with his own response. _< You’re incredibly talented. I feel like I’m living in the future.>_

By the time he checked his phone again at the end of his work day, Anakin had replied with a smiling face that appeared to be blushing and two hearts. While Anakin seemed to thrive on praise, he was also a bit shy about it, so replying with emojis was probably easier for him. But what did it mean that he sent _two_ hearts? Obviously, Anakin didn’t feel the same way about him as he did about his own wife.

Obi-Wan was just about to call him when his doorbell rang. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but it was entirely possible that Anakin wanted to talk in person. Maybe he even brought a treat with him.

Sure enough, Anakin was standing on the other side of his door when Obi-Wan looked through the peephole, but the expression on Anakin’s face made him pause. It was doubtful he was there to discuss their upcoming date. Once he opened the door, Anakin gave him an unconvincing smile that he quickly dropped as he looked off to the side. “Are you alright?” Obi-Wan asked, taking a small step forward.

“Would it be okay if I stayed here for a bit? I promise I won’t distract you from your work.”

Had he fought with Padmé? Despite how much the two of them clearly adored one another, no couple was perfect. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if it would be rude to ask if that was the case, but just standing there staring at Anakin was definitely rude. “Of course, but I’m done working today, so you don’t have to worry about being a distraction.” He stepped aside to let Anakin in. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Just water, please,” Anakin said while he sat on the couch. “And thank you.”

“Well, it is nice to have some company.” Dinner could wait, especially since he wasn’t that hungry to begin with. He sat next to Anakin after he returned with a glass of water and frowned a little at the way Anakin seemed to be trying to make himself appear smaller. “So are you going to tell me what happened?”

Anakin took a few gulps of water and stared down at the glass in his hands, apparently needing a moment before he spoke. “I got into a fight with Padmé. I was stupid and made a comment about how much I still owe on my student loans, and she just . . . She doesn’t get it. I don’t want her help. I know how to budget my money, so I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m risking homelessness or starvation. It’s stressful to think about it, but I’m trying to find ways to pay off my debt faster.” He looked at Obi-Wan like he was waiting for him to disagree, that he _should_ take Padmé’s offer, but when Obi-Wan said nothing, he looked back at the half-full glass. “That robot I’ve been building? I’m going to enter him into a contest that’s held every year in Coruscant, and even if I only get second place, I’d be left with just a couple thousand. I want to pull _myself_ out of debt. I don’t want to feel like I owe anyone, and I don’t want anyone’s pity.” Anakin briefly lifted his right arm as he glanced at Obi-Wan. “This was a wedding gift from her parents, and it took a while for me to accept it because I’m used to people like Cliegg.”

If Anakin was able to accept the prosthetic, why couldn’t he accept Padmé’s help? It felt like Obi-Wan was missing something. “Cliegg is your stepfather, correct?”

Anakin nodded. “He liked to remind me and my mom that he was the one who got us out of poverty, and I think the only reason it didn’t bother my mom so much was because she no longer had to worry about me being hungry or getting bullied at school for the way I dressed. Don’t get me wrong. She always made sure I never went without a meal, even if that meant she skipped a few herself, but I’d feel guilty and lie about still being hungry after having a very small dinner.” He sighed and put the glass on the coffee table before he sagged into the back of the couch. “I know Padmé doesn’t look at me like I’m someone who needs saving, but she won’t listen when I try to tell her that I can manage without her help. She can be really stubborn, and she wouldn’t let me walk away this time, so we fought about it. I was so afraid that I’d say something I’d regret, so that’s why I left and came here.”

Obi-Wan watched as Anakin closed his eyes and seemed to deflate on an exhale. Hesitantly, Obi-Wan gave in to the urge to offer comfort and reached out to lightly squeeze Anakin’s shoulder. “I’d rather not take sides . . . ”

His eyes flying open, Anakin sat up straight and turned to him, grabbing Obi-Wan’s hand as it fell from his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think you had to. I’m just venting.”

“That’s alright,” Obi-Wan said while he stared at their hands. The grip of Anakin’s prosthetic was strong, but not to the point of being painful. When Anakin let him go with a murmured apology as if he’d been burned, Obi-Wan shook his head. “You didn’t hurt me. I’ve never been touched with a prosthetic limb before, that’s all.” He winced slightly before quickly saying, “Not that I’m uncomfortable with that. It’s amazing that you reacted with your right arm instead of your left, like you don’t even notice it’s not a real limb.” At Anakin’s frown, Obi-Wan sighed and scrubbed his hands down his face. Apparently, he could put his foot in his mouth just as well as Anakin could. “I’ve said something offensive, haven’t I?”

After a beat, he said, “Not exactly. That sounded a little too close to what I’ve heard before from people who only focused on my prosthetic. I was inspiration porn to them, or they would fetishize me for being an amputee. I don’t actually think you feel that way, but maybe watch how you talk about my disability. Reaching out to touch you with my prosthetic isn’t ‘amazing,’ and living my life as an amputee isn’t ‘amazing,’ either. I’m just trying to get by like everyone else.”

Obi-Wan was relieved Anakin didn’t become angry with him for his constant ignorance, but his obvious disappointment made Obi-Wan’s face feel hot. “I apologize. I only meant it was amazing how well you’ve adapted, but I will try not to focus on it going forward. I suppose just as you want to learn about asexuality, I should do my own research about your disability.”

There was a hint of a smile on Anakin’s lips. Hopefully, that meant Obi-Wan was forgiven. “It’s different for every amputee, of course, and I’ve already said you can ask me questions. But, yeah, we do have a lot to learn about each other.” Anakin ran a hand through his hair, the tension visibly draining from him as he relaxed into the back of the couch again. “I think I’m a little more sensitive right now because of my fight with Padmé.”

Right. That was the whole reason Anakin was in his apartment. Obi-Wan could almost understand why he fought with her, but when Anakin knew she wasn’t anything like his stepfather, why would he refuse her help? Maybe he wanted to prove to himself that he didn’t need to rely on someone else. _Or maybe he doesn’t want to compare his marriage to Padmé with his mother’s marriage to Cliegg._ Obi-Wan had no idea if Anakin’s mother actually loved the man or if she married him just to help Anakin. Asking him about such an invasive topic probably wasn’t the best move, so he let it go.

“What kind of household did you grow up in?” Anakin asked. When Obi-Wan only looked at him warily, Anakin shook his head. “I already know your parents are assholes, but did you have to worry about money?”

He probably wanted to know if Obi-Wan could relate in any way. While his family weren’t rich, they weren’t poor either, so he had no idea what Anakin had went through as a child. All the same, Anakin had no idea what Obi-Wan had went through, and he was glad for that. Anakin always spoke fondly of his mother, and she seemed to truly love him.

“No,” he said quietly, “my family is middle-class.”

“That’s good. Do you have any siblings?”

So he was leaving the subject of his parents alone, but he still wanted Obi-Wan to open up. It was only fair, he supposed. Anakin opened up to him, and he could talk about his siblings up to a point. “I have two older sisters and one older brother. I was never very close with them, but I reconnected with my brother almost a year ago.”

“Oh, I was thinking if you had any brother or sisters, they’d be younger than you. You seem like the big brother type.”

“My parents were done having children after the third. I was a surprise,” he said bitterly, “and they made sure I knew that. They’re the kind of Catholics who believe contraception is fine, but abortion isn’t, so here I am.” Seeing Anakin’s eyes go wide made him realize what he’d just said. Obi-Wan hadn’t meant to reveal that much. “Excuse me,” he mumbled as he went into the kitchen, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

Whenever Obi-Wan needed to calm down, he made tea. Quin used to make fun of him for it when they were roommates until the one time he saw Obi-Wan so upset that his hands were shaking. Quin wordlessly covered Obi-Wan’s hands with his own to still them and asked what had gotten him into such a state, but when Obi-Wan refused to talk about it, Quin didn’t push him. It was years before Obi-Wan broke down and finally told him why he’d quietly made tea almost every night when he’d gotten back from work.

He had just put the tea leaves in the infuser when Anakin walked in. Anakin probably didn’t have a clue as to what he should say, so he remained silent. Really, what would anyone say to that? Obi-Wan stared at the leaves as he waited for the water to boil, feeling like shit for making Anakin uncomfortable. _Well, he wanted me to open up, didn’t he?_

“I’m sorry,” Anakin said while he slowly walked up to the counter. “I shouldn’t have asked you about your family.”

“You did nothing wrong, Anakin. I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t mean to dump that on you.” The kettle beeped, and he started the timer once he filled his mug. “This,” he said as he waved a hand toward his mug and kettle, “helps calm me down. I’m sorry for running out on you.”

“It’s fine. I barged into your apartment after fighting with my wife.”

Looking at him, Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “I think your definition of ‘barged in’ is very different from mine. I said we would talk today anyway, but if you’d rather we not go out—”

“No! I mean, yes! Yes, I still want to go out with you.” Anakin took a step toward him. “Of course this doesn’t change anything, and I promise I won’t ask about your family again. I just hope you can talk about it on your own someday.”

“Someday . . . ” He shook his head and changed the subject. “What time would you like to meet up? The boat rental company isn’t far from here, about 25 minutes, and we’re supposed to have good weather all day.”

“Is 1:00 okay?”

He was grateful Anakin wasn’t questioning why they weren’t going to travel there together. “Yes, that’s fine. I’ll text you the address. Oh! And I need to know one very important thing.” Obi-Wan paused for dramatic effect. “Can you swim?”

“I can,” Anakin said, laughing. “You’re gonna make me wear the lifejacket anyway, aren’t you? Padmé did, which completely ruined the romantic vibe I was going for.”

“So that would explain the rowboat.”

Anakin beamed at him. “It was our first anniversary. I took her out on a lake inside a county park, and we went to one of the little islands for a picnic. I made sure we were allowed to do that ahead of time, but it didn’t matter.” He sighed heavily. “Our picnic was cut short by geese. They were out for blood!”

Even though he felt bad about it, Obi-Wan laughed at the mental image of Anakin and Padmé trying to fend off the attacks of hungry geese. “I’m sure they merely wanted your food. Geese are awful creatures.”

“They really are! We still had a good time, though. I already have our first wedding anniversary all planned out.”

Obi-Wan shut off the timer once it started beeping and removed the infuser. “And when is that?” he asked as he dumped the leaves out into the garbage. That specific tea tasted fine with a second steep, but he didn’t feel like having more that night.

“At the end of the month. We won’t celebrate it on the actual day since it’s a Monday, but she doesn’t mind.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone getting married at the end of August.”

“We went by the Jewish calendar, and . . . damn, what’s that month called? Elul! Elul is considered an auspicious month for marriage. I think it always starts near the end of August. That time worked best for Padmé’s family anyway. We had a Jewish wedding, but none of the local rabbis would officiate it, so one of Padmé’s childhood friends was deputized by the state for the day. I did a lot of research on all the marriage customs, so I managed to impress Padmé’s parents.”

“How much did you cry?” Obi-Wan asked with a smile.

Anakin huffed out a laugh as he briefly looked to the floor. “That’s the reason we decided not to write our own vows. There’s no way I wouldn’t have turned into a blubbering mess, and she wouldn’t have been able to keep her composure either. We both still shed a few tears, but I nearly lost it at the reception when we first danced together.” He paused and bit his bottom lip. “I should really go back up and talk to her.”

“I agree. I’m sure Padmé is worried about where you went off to.”

“Well, since I didn’t take my keys with me, she probably assumed I went to you. Thanks for listening, Obi-Wan.”

“Any time.” He walked Anakin to the door, and it became obvious that Anakin wanted to say something by the way he kept opening and closing his mouth. “What is it?”

“Can . . . can I hug you?”

It was strangely cute that he asked. When Obi-Wan nodded, Anakin engulfed him in a hug that wasn’t gentle, but also didn’t knock the air out of his lungs. Obi-Wan slowly brought his arms up and hugged Anakin back, causing Anakin to tighten his hold a little. It had been so long since he’d been held by someone who wasn’t just a friend. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to take it all in, how warm Anakin was and how he smelled faintly of sandalwood. He didn’t want it to end.

Anakin pulled away and gave him a shy smile. “Have a good night.”

“You as well. Let me know how your talk with Padmé goes.”

“I will.”

Once Anakin left, Obi-Wan rested his forehead against the door and smiled. He was so unbelievably lucky.


	9. Chapter 9

“Oh my god!” Anakin couldn’t stop laughing, especially when Ahsoka scrunched up her face. “That sounds like something I would do!”

_“It’s not funny! There was so much blood!”_

His laughter died down as he pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, and noticing he wasn’t completely in the frame, he held his phone up higher. “I’m sorry. She’s okay, right?”

 _“Yeah, she’s fine. I somehow managed not to actually break her nose, but I’m taking her out to lunch today as an apology.”_   When Anakin gave her a knowing smile, she rolled her eyes. _“It’s not a date. Steela’s just a friend.”_

“Uh-huh. You also said that about Barriss last year.”

 _“I went on_ one _date with Barriss, and we both realized we were better off being friends. You know this, Anakin.”_   She brought her phone closer to her and whispered, _“Don’t jinx me.”_

He laughed again. “Okay. What year is she? How long has she been on the team?”

 _“Same year, and she joined when she was a sophomore.”_   Ahsoka grinned. _“She’s one of our best players. I’d tell you what position she is, but I know anything related to soccer goes right over your head.”_

“You have your soccer, and I have my robots,” he said while he patted Artoo’s head.

“Who are you talking to?” Padmé asked from the doorway. Her conference call must have just ended. Once she’d gotten settled in her new position, having to work on the weekend was rare, but at least most of it could be done from home.

He turned his phone around so Padmé could see, but he had no idea if she was in the frame. “Ahsoka has a hot date today.”

_“Anakin!”_

Padmé smiled at her and walked into the room. “Well, whether or not it actually is a date, I hope you have a good time.”

_“Thanks. Hey, let me know when you’re free. That sci-fi horror movie you were telling me about a few weeks ago was released yesterday.”_

Her eyes lit up at that. “I’m pretty sure next Saturday is good, but I’ll text you when I know for sure.”

_“Great! And maybe Anakin and his boyfriend could spend some quality time together while we’re out.”_

Anakin appreciated that since Ahsoka was just as uncomfortable with the topic of sex around him, her tone didn’t suggest that “quality time” was a euphemism for fucking. As he turned the phone back around, he caught the look on Padmé’s face that he knew meant he was smiling in a way Ahsoka would tease him for. “Actually, we’re going on a date tomorrow.”

Right on cue, Ahsoka tilted her head and cupped one cheek. _“Aww, look at you, hearts in your eyes and everything.”_

Padmé laughed on her way out.

“Yeah, yeah. Like you said, I’ve got it bad.”

_“Well, at least you’re admitting it. What’re you gonna do tomorrow?”_

“Take a canoe out on Theed River. Neither of us have done it before, so I hope we don’t capsize.” His prosthetic couldn’t be submerged in water, so that would be a huge problem.

_“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Oh! Since you’re doing something outdoorsy, it wouldn’t be weird to take pictures. I’m dying to know what this guy looks like.”_

“Okay, but I can’t promise anything. He might be camera shy.” He glanced at the time and hoped she wasn’t going to be late for her not-date because she was talking to him. “It’s almost 12:30, you know. When are you supposed to meet up with her?”

Her eyes widened before the picture started to shake as if she’d gotten up and started running. _“Shit! Sorry, gotta go!”_

“Bye! Good luck!”

The call ended with Ahsoka flashing him a smile.

Deciding to take a break from working on Artoo, Anakin removed his prosthetic and went out into the living room. Padmé was busy with her phone on the couch, so he sat next to her and rested his head on her shoulder. “What are you looking at?”

“I asked Obi-Wan where he gets his tea from because I want to try making my own iced tea, and he gave me the name of this online store.”

“Just now?”

“Yeah, a few minutes ago.”

“Good. That means he must be taking a lunch break.” He lifted his head and rubbed the end of his right arm. “I worry about him.”

Padmé put her phone on the end table before looking at him, eyebrows slightly raised. “Because you think he’s a workaholic?”

“Because I don’t think he eats as much as he should. He’s made a few comments about intentionally skipping meals, forgetting to eat until like 4:00, or thinking an apple is good enough for lunch.” At least Obi-Wan didn’t feel underweight when he hugged him. _God, I didn’t want to let him go._ Anakin felt some resistance when he started to pull back, so it was very likely the same thought was running through Obi-Wan’s mind.

“That is worrying,” Padmé said as she frowned at her lap, “but it’s not exactly surprising. I don’t think he has a very high opinion of himself.”

Anakin wanted to say it was because Obi-Wan’s parents were abusive, but he was basing that on what very little he knew about them, so it was possible he was completely wrong. Besides, it wasn’t his place to tell her something so personal. He already screwed up on that front when he told her Obi-Wan was asexual. And even though Anakin hadn’t been trying to push Obi-Wan into revealing something about his past he didn’t want to talk about, he still felt awful about causing him to panic. He’d thought siblings was a safe topic.

“I’m sure all that rejection did something to him,” Anakin said.

“True. That would affect anyone’s self-esteem.”

Anakin hoped Obi-Wan believed them when they said they truly did accept him, but trying to convince him they weren’t going to change their minds was probably a lost cause when it had only been two weeks since they met. Maybe he would believe them after a few months passed. Anakin felt like a lot was riding on their second date, but if he thought of it that way, the pressure would surely make him say something he’d regret. He had to stay positive.

Padmé put her hand on his knee to stop his leg from bouncing. “Don’t be so nervous, Ani. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah . . . Yeah, you’re right. It’s as if I’m dating you all over again, so I shouldn’t make the same mistakes this time.”

She gave him a small smile. “You didn’t do so bad on our first few dates. You stumbled a little, but it was endearing, and I could tell you were trying so hard to do everything right.” Tilting her head to one side, she asked, “You like him that much, don’t you?”

He knew the comparison to her would bring that up. Looking away, he shrugged. “Kinda.”

Padmé gently turned his face back to her and kissed him. “It’ll work out.”

Even if he couldn’t stay positive, she had enough optimism for both of them.

\------

Anakin decided to wait outside his car, maybe walk around a little since he was about 20 minutes early. It wasn’t stifling out, which was a relief since the heat made wearing his prosthetic uncomfortable, and there was a pleasant breeze that had him closing his eyes and listening to the rustling of tree branches. When he focused, he could hear birdsong and the laughter of children playing in the distance. The sounds calmed him a little.

He didn’t have much experience with rivers or lakes because the most Tatooine ever had were ponds during the very short wet season. The Greater Naboo Area was large enough that Theed River was just under an hour’s drive from the first apartment he shared with Padmé, so he’d only been there once before, and it had been a different section of the river. Padmé had been a frequent visitor when she was a child and confirmed that it was the perfect location for a date.

Just as Anakin was about to walk away, someone pulled into the spot next to his. He actually didn’t know what Obi-Wan’s car looked like, so he took a peek at the driver through the windows of his own car and smiled. “Hey,” he greeted once Obi-Wan got out. “Seems we’re both early.”

Obi-Wan smiled back at him. “Yes, traffic was lighter than expected. I . . . ” His smile faltered as he briefly looked to the ground. “If it’s alright to ask, how does your prosthetic stay connected? I know you went rowing, so paddling should be fine, but I’d hate for it to get ruined because of my idea to come here.”

“Don’t worry. Questions like that are fine. Think of it as being like a big suction cup. There’s an air valve in the socket that lets the air out but not in, and I take my arm off by hitting the release button on that valve. As long as I have a good seal, it won’t be a problem.”

“It doesn’t get uncomfortable?” he asked as they walked away from their cars.

“Yeah, sometimes. I usually leave it off when I’m at home unless I need it. I got so used to not having my right forearm that I can manage well enough, but having my prosthetic makes certain tasks a lot easier. Whether I wear it or not really depends on what mood I’m in, though.”

“Well, at least you have the option of removing it.”

“Considering I have to recharge the battery every night, thank god I can remove it.”

Anakin noticed a sign at the beginning of the path that led people out of the parking lot and into the wooded area. The simple map showed they weren’t too far from the rental company, but even if they were, Anakin wouldn’t have minded being able to stretch his legs for a while. Since he hadn’t been going to the gym as often as he wanted to, he could use some light exercise.

“So I did some research on canoeing,” Obi-Wan said after they figured out which route to take.

Anakin had to smile at that. “You did?”

“Ah, well, neither of us have done it before, so I thought it would be a good idea to know some of the basics. I also called the company this morning, and they have foam pads we can rent.”

They passed a clearing that had a small playground, which must have been where the laughter was coming from earlier, and he was reminded of the park he took Padmé to on their third date. It took him a few seconds to process what Obi-Wan had said. “Wait, why do we need foam pads?”

“Because we should kneel in the canoe. It’s better to have a lower center of gravity.”

“So that we won’t capsize?”

He nodded. “We should be extra careful since I’m sure replacing your arm would be very expensive.”

“It would, but we’ll be okay." He wasn’t going to admit he was still a little nervous about it. “What else came up in your research?”

“I watched a few videos on the proper way to paddle, and you should twist at the waist. Don’t rely on arm strength alone.”

Anakin walked closer to Obi-Wan as he continued to explain what he’d learned and casually brushed the back of his hand against Obi-Wan’s. When Obi-Wan didn’t put any distance between them, Anakin took his hand in his own and hoped he wasn’t overstepping. He didn’t think he would have to ask permission to hold Obi-Wan’s hand since that was relatively minor in terms of physical contact, but if Obi-Wan always wanted him to ask before giving him some kind of affection, he would do just that. Maybe it took Obi-Wan a while to get comfortable with spontaneous acts of affection. From what Anakin knew about him, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Obi-Wan stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at Anakin out of the corners of his eyes, but when he looked forward again, a smile slowly crept up onto his face. “We can rent the canoe by the hour up until they close at 6:00, but with this being our first outing, would you prefer to keep it short?”

Anakin didn’t want the date to only be an hour or two, but he had no idea if Obi-Wan had plans later in the day. He also didn’t know what the cost of the rental was. “Um, how much is it to rent a canoe and everything else by the hour?”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said as he gave Anakin's hand a squeeze. “I hadn’t looked at the rates until last night, and they’re higher than I thought they’d be. It was stupid of me to not check before I asked you, and I didn’t want to change our plans last minute, so I thought I’d offer to pay.” Obi-Wan stopped, forcing Anakin to stop as well. Facing Anakin, he continued, “Please don’t think this has anything to do with what you told me on Friday. I would be offering even if I didn’t know about any of that.”

He was a little less prickly about the subject of his financial situation after talking with Padmé. She had a better understanding of how he felt and promised she wouldn’t offer to help again, but she made it very clear that she wouldn’t look at him any differently if he decided to ask for help later on. There was one thing she’d said that really stuck with him. _“I would never say that I got you out of debt.”_ Before that, he hadn’t consciously made the connection between his stepfather and Padmé. Of course, Anakin knew she would never act like Cliegg, but fear wasn’t always rational.

In response to Obi-Wan’s sincerity, Anakin squeezed his hand back. “Alright, but I have one condition. If you don’t have any plans afterward, I get to treat you to something.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Deal. What do you have in mind?”

“There’s a really great ice cream place near the library. They have flavors I’ve never even heard of and like a hundred different toppings.”

“I’ve passed that store many times, but I’ve never gone in.”

Anakin grinned and tugged on Obi-Wan’s hand as he continued walking down the path. “Then we definitely have to go.” They fell silent, and when they reached another clearing, Anakin could see the glimmer of sunlight reflecting off of water not too far from them. “You know, if you were any other guy, I would’ve gotten nervous about you wanting to pay.”

“Why?”

“I’ve heard enough stories about guys thinking that because they paid for the date, they’re owed sex.”

“Ah. Yes, I’ve also heard such stories.”

“You’ve never had to deal with a man pressuring you, have you?”

“The only man I went out with yelled at me for ‘wasting his goddamn time’ because I had waited until the end of the second date to tell him I’m ace. He then walked off in a huff.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but Anakin very much doubted that was the case. “I was just grateful he wasn’t one of those people who think I’ll change if they force the issue. But I did learn that I should tell the person on the first date. Obviously, I have yet to master the art of coming out in a way that isn’t confusing. You’d think that after so many times, I would have found the right way to do it.”

 _Why is he taking any of the blame for how that went down?_ Anakin was the one who’d asked insensitive questions, and he still couldn’t believe that last one had come out of his mouth. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Obi-Wan. I was an asshole who asked you questions that apparently every asexual person has heard at some point in their life, and to make it even worse, I asked if someone had made you that way through a horrific act. You have no idea how much that still haunts me. I’m not that kind of person.”

“I know, and I’m glad I gave you a second chance.” He squeezed Anakin’s hand one more time before he let go. “I see you’ve been reading the book I lent to Padmé.”

Anakin tapped the side of this head. “Damn, I meant to bring it with me. We finished it yesterday. Very educational.”

“It’s not as though you live far from me, so you can return it any time,” Obi-Wan said with a smile. “And it’s good to hear that it helped.”

“It really did. You should see the notes Padmé took. Oh, I think we’re here.” He pointed to the small building at the end of the path. That was probably why Obi-Wan had let go of his hand. Even though much of Naboo tended to be open-minded, Theed River attracted a lot of tourists, so it was probably better not to act like they were on a date in front of other people. Anakin usually ignored bigots unless they turned violent, but after having to deal with homophobic parents, he could see Obi-Wan not wanting to risk drawing that kind of attention.

While Obi-Wan took care of asking for what they needed from the overly happy teenager, Anakin looked at the sign that listed the rates. _Holy shit. He wasn’t kidding. How much does he make as a freelance editor?_

It didn’t take long to get set up, and after they’d put on their life jackets—at least they were nicer than the ones he and Padmé had worn—Anakin checked his prosthetic to make sure the seal was still good. “Do me a favor and yank me forward by my arm,” Anakin said as he held it out. Obi-Wan did so, and satisfied it would hold, he said, “Okay, I’m good. You wanted me to get in first, right?”

He nodded. “I’ll steady it for you.”

Doing as Obi-Wan suggested, he walked as if there was a tightrope down the middle of the boat to take his spot in the bow. Once he was kneeling on the surprisingly comfortable foam pad, Obi-Wan pushed the canoe forward and quickly got in. “You looked like a total pro. Just how many YouTube videos did you watch?”

Obi-Wan laughed. “Enough that I felt reasonably sure I wouldn’t fall into the water. Now you remember what I said about paddling?”

Anakin nodded and off they went. It wasn’t so bad, but with the canoe being much narrower than the rowboat he’d been in, his fear of capsizing returned. He tried not to think about it and focused on paddling instead.

“We make a good team,” Obi-Wan said.

“Because we’ve managed to keep going straight for this long?”

“Yes. I had visions we would be going in circles for at least 10 minutes. Are you doing alright?”

Anakin figured he was referring to his arm. “Yeah. Hey, the fork’s coming up. Which way did that guy say was good for beginners?” He’d been a little distracted since the teenager’s older coworker had been hitting on Obi-Wan while he gave them basic instructions. Anakin had to start coughing so he wouldn’t laugh at how oblivious Obi-Wan was, and for whatever reason, the guy immediately backed off. Maybe it was the concern Obi-Wan had for Anakin’s fake coughing fit that made the guy think something was going on between them.

“To the right.”

Once they successfully turned in that direction, Anakin smiled and said, “I think we got the hang of it.”

“I agree.”

Anakin wished he could see Obi-Wan. That was the nice thing about rowing. He was able to face Padmé as they moved through the water.

They silently paddled along, passing other canoes and a few kayaks. A child who looked to be about eight stared at him in wonder, but it never made Anakin feel self-conscious when little kids stared at him. Children were still trying to learn about the world, and most of them thought his arm was cool because it reminded them of a character from a popular cartoon show.

“It’s very peaceful,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded. Using a paddle was a lot less uncomfortable on his residual limb than using oars, and his knees weren’t bothering him yet, so it was easier to focus on his surroundings.  He always enjoyed being out in nature, and the sound of the canoe moving through the water was soothing enough that if it was possible to lie down, he’d take a nap.

It was a good sign that they could enjoy each other’s company without having to talk. His mother had pointed out to him many years ago that he tended to prattle on when he was anxious, so if he was truly at ease around someone, silence didn’t bother him. Obi-Wan seemed to be the type who didn’t mind keeping quiet, which was probably why he let Anakin go on for so long on their first date. _Well, he seems to hate talking about himself anyway._

Obi-Wan gasped behind him.

“What? Did you see something in the water? Is it a snake?”

“No. Spider. In the canoe.”

He was really hoping it was a snake. The way snakes moved in the water was so fascinating. “Oh, that’s all? Where in the canoe?”

“‘That’s all’?” His voice was pitched slightly higher. “It’s quite large and crawling toward me.”

Anakin brought his paddle up and laid it across the canoe before carefully twisting around to assess the situation. He had to laugh when he saw that the spider was only about the size of a dime, yet Obi-Wan was frozen was place. It was closer to Anakin than it was to him. “Afraid of spiders, Obi-Wan?”

“I am not. I just don’t want them on me.”

Grinning, Anakin slowly shifted his knees farther apart so that he could twist a bit more without rocking the boat too much, and he casually scooped the spider up and threw it into the water. “Now you don’t have to worry about the tiny spider.”

Obi-Wan stared at him with wide eyes. “You’re very comfortable around insects, aren’t you?” he asked while Anakin turned back around.

“Yeah. I got used to all kinds of critters when I was a kid.” Putting his paddle in the water, he smiled fondly as a memory came to him. “I even collected tiny lizards and interesting looking beetles. There were jars all over my room, and one day, a jar of beetles fell over while I was at school, and the mesh came off the top. It took me hours to find them all when I got home. After that, my mom told me to release everything because it wasn’t right to keep them for so long. They deserved to be out in the wild where they belonged.”

“How old were you?”

“Around seven, I think. She respected my privacy, for the most part, so she didn’t know just how many jars I had. She doesn’t mind bugs, but she doesn’t want them roaming around her home.”

“With everything you’ve told me about her, I think we would get along quite well.”

Anakin looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Yeah, you would.”

“Does she . . . ” He paused and frowned a little, but he didn’t stop paddling. “Does she know about this?”

Facing forward, he said, “She’s known about me being poly for roughly a year now. It was an awkward conversation, but once Padmé talked to her, she was fine with it. I think because I was so nervous, my explanation had been kind of confusing. I told her about you yesterday. Well, I said I’m dating someone, and I really like him, but I didn’t go into detail.”

“I see.” Obi-Wan sounded surprised, but Anakin couldn’t be sure by what. “You can tell her that he really likes you too.”

Warmth settled in Anakin’s chest. That was the first time Obi-Wan said how he felt about him. Obi-Wan seemed to be the kind of person who wasn’t very good at verbalizing his emotions, which would normally bother Anakin, but at least Obi-Wan spoke through his actions. While he knew that wouldn’t always cut it, he would confront that issue later.

“What are you attracted to?” Anakin blurted out. _Wow, real smooth, Skywalker._ “I mean, since you don’t experience sexual attraction, what draws you to a person?”

“Are you asking me what I find attractive about you?”

Anakin was afraid he’d take it that way. He could almost hear the smile in Obi-Wan’s voice, but he took a peek over his shoulder to be certain. Between his smile and his slightly raised eyebrows, Obi-Wan was definitely amused. “I meant in general.” He truly did, but he doubted Obi-Wan believed him. Anakin didn’t expect to get an answer right away, so when he was met with silence, he bit his tongue and focused on paddling.

“ _Generally_ , I am drawn to their personality, but appearance does still count since there’s that initial attraction where I’ll think a person is beautiful. I simply don’t care about what they look like with their clothes off. When it comes to personality, I am drawn to someone who knows what they want in life, wishes to help those in need, and can carry a conversation but doesn’t always need to be talking. Someone who understands that compromise will be necessary is a must.”

“Compromise because you’re ace?”

“When it comes to sex, yes, but as you already figured out, I’m not the most affectionate person, and being asexual has nothing to do with that. While I may be willing to try certain activities, that doesn’t mean I’m going to end up liking them. I know it’s asking a lot of someone to put up with me being so aloof in addition to my boundaries with sex.”

Anakin stopped paddling. He desperately wanted to look at Obi-Wan, but maybe it was easier for Obi-Wan to open up if Anakin couldn’t see him. This was the most he’d talked about himself in such a personal way. Why hadn’t he done so over the phone if not being seen helped? Obi-Wan did say it was peaceful, so it could be the environment was giving him the extra push to talk.

Anakin took a deep breath and thought about what he wanted to say before he opened his mouth. “I don’t think you’re aloof. You strike me as someone who’s a little unsure of themselves because they don’t have much experience to fall back on. As long as you find a way to let the person you like know how you feel about them, it’s more than okay to not be affectionate all the time. No one should expect that of you anyway. Hugging and holding hands are perfectly fine, and I’m sorry if I made you feel like they weren’t.” When Obi-Wan didn’t say anything in reply, Anakin took another deep breath in an attempt to calm himself so that he didn’t look behind him. _Just give him a moment._

“You didn’t,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “I actually find myself wanting to be close to you, and I’m not talking about sex. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I . . . I feel . . . safe with you.”

At that, Anakin simply had to twist around. Obi-Wan, whose face had turned beet red, was staring at the canoe as if he was expecting Anakin to laugh at him. “I feel safe with you too.” When Obi-Wan looked up with a sharp jerk of his head, Anakin smiled, and after a few seconds, Obi-Wan smiled back.

The rest of their time on the water was spent talking about their college years, and Anakin was delighted to learn that Obi-Wan had been a little rebellious. Obi-Wan loved challenging his professors on outdated views or on what was plain misinformation, and it was one such verbal sparring match that led to him becoming friends with the American exchange student he briefly mentioned on their first date. Anakin didn’t know if Obi-Wan felt more comfortable talking about that part of his life because it had nothing to do with his family or because he had made himself emotionally vulnerable and Anakin had done the same in return. The atmosphere between them certainly felt more relaxed.

“That was really fun,” Anakin said after they’d returned their canoe and gear. “Still up for ice cream?”

“I am. I rarely say no to sweets.” Obi-Wan smiled as his hand brushed Anakin’s.

Anakin was pretty sure that wasn’t an accident, so he took Obi-Wan’s hand and held his breath in anticipation. When Obi-Wan didn’t yank it back, Anakin breathed out slowly. As they walked through the woods in comfortable silence, he hoped he wouldn’t screw up like he did the last time. Obi-Wan knew him better than on their first date, so even if he did manage to say the wrong thing, maybe he’d be forgiven. _Or would his patience run out? What if one more mistake, no matter how small, will be enough for him to be done with me?_ Just as fear was beginning to seize his throat, Obi-Wan rubbed his thumb across the back of Anakin’s hand. Anakin immediately calmed down and gently bumped their shoulders together, which earned him a bright smile that made his heart stutter. _Yeah, I don’t think I have anything to worry about._

\------

Padmé was watching what Anakin recognized as one of her favorite horror movies when he got home, and she paused it as soon as she saw him. “So? How was your date?”

“Amazing! We were actually pretty good at canoeing, and I treated him to ice cream after since he paid for the rental.” He sat down next to Padmé and wrapped his arm around her waist while giving her a kiss. “He even opened up a little. It was a perfect date,” he said, sighing happily.

“I’m so glad to hear that. How did it end?”

Anakin knew what she was really asking. She’d also thought his boundary when it came to kissing was a little strange, but the book had mentioned asexual people usually viewed kissing differently than sexual people did. While Anakin wasn’t sure if Obi-Wan actually liked kissing, at least he didn’t seem to mind it. “I asked him how he prefers to say goodbye, and he went with hugging.”

“You do give great hugs. Did he seem more relaxed today?”

“After a certain point, yeah. Why?”

“He texted me a few minutes before you got here and asked if I was free for lunch one day this week.” Before Anakin could say anything, she continued, “It’s not a date, just a casual lunch.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Considering you’re both interested in dating each other sometime down the road, how can it just be a ‘casual lunch’?”

“I think it’s easier for him to look at it that way,” Padmé said with a shrug. “I’m fine with that. I told him I’d check my schedule tomorrow and let him know.”

Anakin grinned, and most likely knowing exactly what he was thinking, she smiled too. _It’s really going to happen, isn’t it? How did we get this lucky?_


	10. Chapter 10

Padmé leaned against the side of the elevator and closed her eyes. Although she loved her job, it could be so mentally exhausting, especially when she had meetings four days in a row. At least the board was happy with what she was doing, and the budget meeting went better than she’d hoped it would. They could afford to hire two more full-time employees, and Padmé was going to offer the single mother who was only working part-time one of those positions. She would be perfect for the job after a little training, and she could probably afford to quit her other two jobs with the pay increase. Padmé doubted she would turn it down.

She yawned as she unlocked the door, but she perked up immediately when the smell of food hit her. Their apartment was dimly lit, and once she took her shoes off and stepped into the living room, she knew exactly what was going on.

“Hello, Angel,” Anakin said as he slowly put down a dish filled with pasta. “How was your day?”

She merely stood there, looking between the table of food in their living room—where did that table even come from?—and her smiling husband. There was no way he could have cooked all that after he got home from work. “My day was good, but how did you set this up? Did you take a half day?”

Anakin took the two unlit candles from the table and brought them to one of the oil lamps that dotted the room. He knew she hated the smell of sulfur that came from using a match. “Actually, I took the whole day off because I needed the time to cook everything and pick up dessert.”

Once Anakin put the candles back on the table, she wrapped him up in a tight hug, which he returned with just as much strength. Pulling away, she asked, “Is this what you had planned, or is there something else?” Compared to what she was expecting, this was very restrained.

“We are doing something tomorrow, but I couldn’t surprise you with dinner while you were home, so that’s why I did this today.” With an almost shy smile on his face, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I promise I didn’t go overboard.”

She believed him only because Obi-Wan told her she didn’t have anything to worry about, and he seemed to be the type who didn’t like grand gestures. Anakin had filled him in on what he had planned for their anniversary by the time she had her first lunch with him. Obi-Wan was actually impressed with Anakin’s idea.

He sat as close to her as he could without crowding her. He was such a tactile person that she expected the loving brushes of his hand or gentle nudges of his foot against hers, and she was used to his views on romance, so the mood lighting wasn’t a surprise. If Padmé was being honest with herself, she could be just as sappy as Anakin at times, and she touched him back almost as much throughout their dinner

The food, as always, was delicious. He’d made far too much, but they were both big believers in cooking a lot at once so that there were leftovers for days, if not a full week. When Anakin said there was even more in the kitchen, Padmé knew they’d have to freeze some of it.

“Do you want dessert now?” Anakin asked once they finished. “We could wait until later.”

“I’ll have a little something. I’m too curious.”

Grinning, he got up from the table and disappeared into the kitchen, but he wasn’t gone for long. He came back out carrying a white box that looked like the kind used in bakeries. “I called ahead to make sure they had them today,” he said as he opened the box and showed her what was inside.

Her eyes widened at the sight of a dozen rugelach. “What bakery are these from?”

“The one near your parents’ house. I remember you said they make the best jam-filled rugelach. I got some other pastries too.”

That was her favorite Jewish bakery, but it was 45 minutes away. He drove that far just to get pastries. She smiled and took his hand between her own after he put the box on the table. “Ani, you are the sweetest husband anyone could ask for. Thank you.”

Leaning down, he gave her a kiss. “And you are the best wife anyone could ask for.”

Padmé helped him clean up after they were done with dessert, and if she wasn’t so tired, she would have wanted to have some fun with him. He looked like he was about to collapse himself, so he was perfectly fine with cuddling. She held Anakin from behind and put her hand over his heart, letting its steady beat help lull her to sleep.

She woke up with her arms around Anakin’s pillow, which meant he’d gotten up before her, as was usually the case. Anakin sometimes placed his pillow in front of her to give her something to hold onto that smelled like him, claiming it was so she wouldn’t feel like she was waking up alone. Smiling into the pillow, Padmé gave it a squeeze before rolling over to look at the time. What she saw instead was a blank envelope propped up in front of her clock.

Opening it, Padmé was surprised to see a handwritten letter that was actually legible. Anakin had never quite mastered being able to write well with his left hand, so he usually relied on typing. It must have taken him a good half hour to write the full-page letter.

_Dear Padmé,_

_Happy Anniversary! I can’t believe it’s already been a year. I still remember the way my heart skipped a beat when I first saw you. You are so beautiful and so kind, and I sometimes think I’m still dreaming when I wake up beside you. I have no idea what you saw in me, but I’m so glad you were able to look beyond my awkwardness. This past year has been amazing, and I think this next year will be even better. You light a fire inside me that I know won’t ever burn out, and you’ve made me realize that I have the ability to share that fire with someone else, for which I’ll be eternally grateful. I wish I could sing about my love for you from the rooftop so that everyone could know how wonderful you are. (Don’t worry, I wouldn’t embarrass you like that. I know you say you like my voice, but I once scared my neighbor’s cat with my singing.) I couldn’t imagine my life without you, and I hope you feel the same way about me._

_Forever yours,_

_Anakin_

Padmé laughed as she wiped her eyes. She used to cringe at romantic clichés, but coming from Anakin, she thought it was charming. Padmé read it one more time before she folded it back up and put it inside the nightstand drawer. Crouching in front of her closet, she moved the various boxes she’d put in front of her present for Anakin. She was terrible at wrapping presents, so she didn’t bother if she didn’t absolutely have to. Padmé loved trying to figure out what the best gift was for someone, and seeing their face light up with happiness gave her a warm feeling in her chest.

She found Anakin in the kitchen making waffles, and while hiding the present behind her back, she got up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for the letter, and of course I feel the same way about you.”

Anakin beamed at her after he flipped the waffle iron. “You’re welcome. I hope it wasn’t too hard to read.”

“I could read it just fine. Here.” Padmé brought the box in front of her and held it out to him. “This is for you.”

Anakin stared at the box with his mouth agape and took it from her carefully since he wasn’t wearing his prosthetic. “I can’t . . . I can’t believe you got this. It’s even the right set. Padmé . . . ” It was an electronic toolkit he talked about wanting months ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to buy it because it was so expensive. After he slowly put it down on the counter, he gave Padmé a tight hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Thank you.”

She smiled into his chest. “You’re very welcome.”

They took a shower together after they ate, and Padmé was always amazed at how strong of an orgasm she could have just from Anakin’s fingers. She returned the favor with her mouth, but only after Anakin insisted on laying their washcloths down on the tub to provide some cushion for her knees. She’d never met a more considerate lover than Anakin.

He was oddly energetic once they’d gotten dressed. Whenever they had sex in the morning—or during the day, but that was rare—Anakin would be lethargic for about an hour. His excitement over whatever he had planned must have been enough to snap himself out of it.

“So are you going to tell me what we’re doing today?” she asked.

He shook his head. “You’ll need to pack an overnight bag, but we won’t be leaving until late afternoon. We’re not staying at a fancy hotel, I promise. It’ll just be too late to drive back tonight.”

Now she was even more curious about what he was up to. She almost grabbed her phone to text Obi-Wan and see if she could weasel it out of him. “How long will it take to get to . . . wherever it is we’re going?”

“Two hours.”

Waiting was painful. Anakin wouldn’t even give her a hint. Why would they leave so late if it took that long to get there? Maybe it was a special dinner? But Anakin had already done that.

In the car, though, all her questions and guesses were pushed to the back of her mind. Anakin put on a playlist of pop songs from when they were younger, and the nostalgia made Padmé smile. They laughed at a few because, really, some of the music they’d listened to was awful, and they sung along to others. Yes, Anakin was a little tone deaf, but not to the extent that his singing was grating on her ears. The ride didn’t feel like it was two hours long at all.

They grabbed some fast food to eat in the hotel, which wasn’t fancy in the slightest. It was clean, and that was all Padmé cared about. Anakin was still tight-lipped about what he had planned, and her knowing what town they were in didn’t give her any clues.

Once it was dark out, Anakin said it was time to go, and Padmé had to admit she was completely stumped. They drove for about 10 minutes to a park that was mysteriously still open and had at least 15 cars in the lot. When Anakin pulled a blanket and a flashlight out of the trunk, she finally got it.

“Ani, are we going stargazing?”

He’d told her about his love of space and how much he’d wanted a telescope when he was a kid. When he was six, he wanted to grow up to be an astronaut, but when Cliegg came into the picture years later, Anakin got a heavy dose of reality. From that point on, Anakin wanted to do something involving machines or, better yet, robots. Padmé didn’t ask what Cliegg had said to him because she could tell it wasn’t a good memory, and she never asked him to talk about something that caused him pain. Instead, she allowed him to open up on his own and talk whenever he was ready to.

Anakin only smiled in response and handed the blanket to her before he turned on the flashlight and led her out of the parking lot.

The path brought them to a field, and from what little she could see, there were plenty of other people either lying on the ground or looking through telescopes. When Anakin found an empty spot that was far enough away from the other stargazers to give them some privacy, he helped her lay out the blanket.

“The park’s been allowing people in after sundown every Saturday this month to let people stargaze,” Anakin explained in a whisper. “I was really hoping the weather would cooperate because I didn’t have a backup plan.”

“The thought would have been enough,” she whispered back.

When they lied down, Padmé was taken aback by the beauty of the night sky. Having grown up in the city, she never really saw the stars, but she didn’t have the inclination to look up to find them anyway. Seeing part of the universe spread out before her didn’t make her feel small or insignificant. It made her wonder what was out there, and she understood why some people strove to learn all they could about the galaxy they all lived in and how it came into being. _How could anyone think we’re alone in the universe?_

“Thank you for showing this to me.”

Anakin took her hand in his as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Happy Anniversary, Padmé.”

They stayed in the field for close to an hour, and when they went to bed, they simply cuddled again. It didn’t take either of them long to fall asleep.

While Anakin showered in the morning, Padmé sent a text to Obi-Wan, asking him if he’d ever seen the stars away from all the light pollution.

_< I haven’t, but I’ve seen pictures. I hope you had a nice anniversary.>_

Pictures didn’t do it justice. _< It was perfect. Are we still on for lunch on Tuesday?>_

They’d had lunch together twice already, and she really enjoyed talking with him. Although he didn’t say much about himself, she did find out that they shared certain key viewpoints. It wasn’t that Padmé couldn’t date someone who disagreed with her, but she believed that having similar social and political views was important in terms of forming a relationship.

It was a few minutes before Obi-Wan responded. _< Yes, but I’ve been wondering about something. Are we dating?>_

Padmé smiled. It certainly felt like they were. _< Only if you want us to be.>_

Again, it took him some time to respond. _< Well, the thought of dating both of you doesn’t send me into a panic. Would you want to do something this coming weekend?>_

Just when she thought the weekend couldn’t get any better, Obi-Wan officially asked her out. Padmé hadn’t expected that to happen so soon. After all, he and Anakin had only gone out on three dates, their third being at the natural history museum in Central Naboo the previous Sunday. Anakin had spent some time with Obi-Wan outside of official dates, though, so that could have helped. He’d made dessert a few times and brought it down to Obi-Wan to eat together during the week. Anakin used that as an excuse to ask if Obi-Wan had already eaten dinner since he wouldn’t come off as a mother hen in that context.

Padmé was so busy smiling at her phone as she tried to think of what they could do that she didn’t even notice Anakin had come out of the shower.

“And what’s got you so happy?”

She jumped a little and immediately laughed at herself. “Obi-Wan just asked me out.”

He perked up instantly and sat on the bed facing her. “Really? That’s great! What are you going to do?”

“I was thinking . . . the art museum would be nice. They have a new exhibition on Japanese woodblock prints that looks interesting.”

“I’m pretty sure he’d go for that idea,” Anakin said, grinning.

_< How about going to the art museum?>_

_< I would love to.>_

\------

After Padmé went inside the café, it took her a moment to find where Obi-Wan was sitting. He’d picked a corner booth away from the crowd, but he was looking down at his phone, so rather than try to get his attention, Padmé stood in line and shot him a text saying she’d be at the table shortly. When she finally sat down across from him, she noticed his back was ramrod straight, and his smile was a bit tight. Spending time with him was allowing her to pick on the little things.

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing at all.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe you. Knowing this is a date changes things, doesn’t it?” Since they decided to start dating a few days ago, their get-together for lunch was technically a date. It just wasn’t initially set up as one.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to no doubt say that wasn’t it at all, that he was fine, but he closed it and slouched with a sigh. “I keep forgetting how good you are at reading people.”

“You’re just used to being around Anakin.”

He chuckled and put his phone down on the table. “Did anything change between you and him after you got married?”

“Not really. If anything, we’re happier.”

Nodding, he unwrapped his sandwich. “Marriage isn’t something I ever really saw for myself, but I do understand its appeal.” He paused. “If this were to work out, marriage wouldn’t be option for me anyway.”

That was one of the many challenges a triad, or any kind of polyamorous relationship, faced. Padmé accepted that the law would never change. The subject of multiple spouses was a minefield because most people thought of religious cults. It seemed the common belief was that equality couldn’t possibly exist, and at least one person was being taken advantage of or was being held hostage. It was due to all the negativity and misunderstandings that Padmé didn’t talk about it with others. They were going to have to tread very carefully whenever they reached the point where the three of them would go out in public. Adding children into the mix would be even more difficult, but she still wasn’t sure how Obi-Wan felt about being a parent. While he said he didn’t think he’d be a good father, he didn’t actually say he never wanted children. She would have to bring it up again sometime soon.

“There are other ways of legally including a third person,” Padmé said. “It just takes more time and paperwork.”

“And what about children?”

Padmé’s eyebrows shot up. Apparently, that had been on his mind as well. “Legally, it’s not an issue. A state bill was passed about five years ago that allows a child to have more than two parents. When it comes to how people would react . . . that’s something we’d need to prepare ourselves for. If that’s too much for you, I mean, I did ask you a while ago, but . . . ” She looked down at the table. Obi-Wan knew they wanted children, so if that was a deal breaker, he would have walked away already. Still, not having a concrete answer made her nervous.

“I’ve thought about it,” he said slowly, “and raising a child with two other people doesn’t frighten me nearly as much as only raising a child with one. I would have no idea what to do, though.”

She almost sighed in relief. Looking back up at him, she reached across the table and covered his hand with her own. “We wouldn’t either. I think every new parent feels that way, but we’d figure it out together.”

“What if I end up repeating—” His jaw snapped shut with a click as his eyes widened.

Silence settled between them, but Padmé knew better than to push. If they talked about something light-hearted, maybe he would relax again. “I have a strange question for you. Can you sing?”

Obi-Wan’s guarded expression vanished immediately and was replaced with a hint of a smile. “I’m not a terrible singer. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. We were singing in the car on Saturday, and it made me wonder if you’re tone deaf like Anakin is. And before you accuse me of bad-mouthing him behind his back, he says it himself that he’s not very good at singing.”

He chuckled. “Well, you’ll just have to take my word for it that I’m not tone deaf because I don’t sing in front of people.”

“Not even _with_ other people? I’m a little shy about singing myself, but I’m okay if others are singing along too. Me and Anakin got together with some friends for karaoke once, and Anakin convinced me to sing Queen’s _Bohemian Rhapsody_ with them. I actually have video of it on my computer at home. Anakin was a little tipsy, so he really got into it, which prompted one of my friends to record a few minutes.” She leaned forward and whispered, “I can send it to you, if you’d like.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled, and Padmé thought he looked adorable when he didn’t hold back. _I wonder if he has dimples under that beard._

“Only if it wouldn’t upset Anakin.”

She sat back and laughed. “He fully accepts that he’s a total dork, so he wasn’t embarrassed by the video when I showed it to him. And you didn’t answer my question. Would you sing with other people?”

“Depends on the number. Three people, no. Three _hundred_ , yes.”

“That’s too bad.”

Padmé had been worried that knowing it was a date would change things between them, but after that initial hiccup, their lunch was no different than the last two. They talked about various subjects, sometimes related to their jobs, but more often not. Considering what Obi-Wan did for a living, she was surprised by how much he read, but she was pleased to hear him say that libraries were special places for him. Padmé decided she would give him a behind-the-scenes tour one day.

“I can’t believe it’s nearly September,” Obi-Wan said after he finished his sandwich. “The summer went by so quickly.”

“It really did, and I completely forgot that Rosh Hashanah is so early this year.” Sola had reminded her that morning. At least she still had time to prepare.

“When is it?”

“The 9th at sundown.”

“Do you get the day off?”

“Yes, that’s never been a problem. The library district is all about inclusivity, and my staff will survive without me for a day. I also get the day off for Yom Kippur, but I hate that it’s right in the middle of the week. Taking any time off during the week messes with my flow, and it’s more difficult to get back on track.” She paused before asking, “Do you celebrate any holidays? I know you aren’t religious, but neither is Anakin, and he still celebrates Christmas.” Obi-Wan tensed up, which he did whenever she asked him anything personal. She tried to play it safe and not ask for details, but she did want to know more about him. “You can tell me if you’re not comfortable answering a question,” she said quietly.

He blinked at her, his drink halfway up to his mouth. Putting it back down, he said, “I understand why you ask such questions. I know it wouldn’t be fair of me to ask questions about you, then turn around and say you can’t do the same. I’m sure I’ll eventually reach the point when I can talk about certain topics.”

At least he put it out there so that she didn’t have to feel like she was walking on eggshells. “I have a lot of patience, so don’t worry about it.”

Obi-Wan sighed as he leaned into the back of the booth. “I don’t deserve either of you.”

“Why?” Instead of giving her an answer, he simply looked away, and it wasn’t the time or place to push him on that, so she let it go. “Are you sure it’s alright to go to the museum on Saturday? I know you take Sundays off.”

He brow furrowed for a second, probably due to the sudden change in topic. “It’s fine. Because I’m ahead of schedule, I decided to take the whole weekend off.”

“It must be nice to be able to set your own hours.”

“That is one of the perks.”

“What made you go the freelance route?” And he tensed up again. “That’s one of those topics, isn’t it?”

His gaze fell to the table. “I didn’t have a good experience at the publishing house, and after eight years, I needed a change.”

Padmé had no idea he’d worked there for that long. Could he not stand the corporate world of publishing anymore? Or maybe he had an awful boss who didn’t treat him well. “Did you look into getting a job with a small press? I know a lot of small publishers through my work in the library, and they might be a better fit for you. Plus, there are quite a few LGBT publishers, if that’s something you’re interested in.”

Obi-Wan’s shoulders slowly went down as she spoke, and his slight frown smoothed out. “I’d never even considered that.”

“I have no clue what the pay would be at a small press, but maybe it’s worth looking into.”

He smiled a little. “Thank you for the suggestion.”

Padmé wished they could talk more, but her break was nearly over. After they walked out together, Obi-Wan’s hair caught the sun just right to make it look like he was glowing. She could almost understand why someone would be annoyed or disappointed at not being able to take him apart in bed. Obi-Wan was stunning, but he also had every right to be himself, and Padmé vowed to never make him feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

She laid her hand on his upper arm in warning and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’ll talk to you later. Don’t work too hard, alright?” It took him a few seconds to recover, but when he did, his smile made her want to kiss him again. _At least I know I didn’t overstep._

“I’ll try not to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went stargazing in Maine a few years ago, and it is absolutely breathtaking.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for references to child abuse.

It wasn’t hard to spot Padmé among the crowd in the foyer. Wearing a flowing, light pink summer dress, and with her hair in an intricate updo, her presence caught nearly everyone’s eye as they walked past her. She was the kind of person who exuded confidence and politeness without making it look like an act, so she would undoubtedly get people’s attention regardless of what she wore. To Obi-Wan, she and Anakin were equally beautiful, and he could easily see why they were attracted to each other. Why they thought he was attractive, he had no idea. He would never stand out in a crowd like they did.

“Hello,” Obi-Wan said, which caused her to look up from her phone and give him a brilliant smile. “You look lovely.”

“Thank you. You look quite fetching yourself.”

Padmé looked him up and down, but not in a suggestive way. Obi-Wan knew what it was like to be leered at, and it made his skin crawl. Padmé’s compliment, however, came across as her simply expressing an opinion. She thought he looked nice, and that didn’t bother him at all.

“Shall we?” she asked, pointing to the line of people waiting to buy tickets.

“Of course.”

As she put her phone in the small purse that was slung across her chest, Obi-Wan noticed she’d done the same Anakin had on their dates. She wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. He’d asked Anakin what he would do if someone recognized him and saw he wasn’t wearing his ring while with a person who clearly wasn’t his wife. Anakin would tell them he had an open marriage since that was more easily understood than being polyamorous, and he would be honest about the lack of a wedding ring. Judgment from strangers wasn’t something he wanted, so possibly having to explain himself to those he knew was worth it. Padmé probably felt the same way.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to this museum,” Obi-Wan said once they got in line. “I last went with Satine when she was visiting.”

“Oh, how is her latest book coming along?”

Thanks to the seven people working behind the long desk, they already moved forward a couple of feet. “My part is done, and I think it’s the best in the series. I can’t remember when she said it’s due to come out, though.”

“I can’t wait to read to it.”

He knew she meant that, which made him smile. “I haven’t told her you’re a fan because I’m afraid it will make her even more insufferable.”

“About?”

“Wanting to meet both of you. It’s far too early for that.”

“You’re treating it like a meet-the-parents situation,” she said, laughing. “Does she get very motherly toward you?”

“No, she’s just protective. We’re very good friends.”

“It’s good to have someone like that, as long as they’re not _over_ -protective. I’m surprised she knows about us. She’s okay with . . . that?” Saying “polyamory” when around so many people wasn’t the best idea. There were too many misconceptions around the subject.

“She is. She’s known about Anakin’s interest from the start, but I waited to tell her about you. I . . . wanted to be sure.”

“Understandable,” Padmé said with a nod.

After they paid for their tickets, they started with the Western European wing. European art didn’t particularly interest him, so he let her set the pace. She spent more time looking at paintings of people than landscapes, and she circled each sculpture twice. Obi-Wan caught himself looking at Padmé more than the art and hoped she didn’t notice.

With her being so relaxed, his nervousness had calmed down significantly. It definitely helped that he didn’t have to worry about telling her he was asexual. He’d never had the experience of dating someone who already knew that about him. At one point, Obi-Wan managed to work up the nerve to reach out and hold her hand. Padmé’s only reaction was giving his hand a squeeze, which he was incredibly grateful for. Obi-Wan didn’t want her to make a big deal out of it, not when he felt so inept at the whole relationship thing. Getting better at initiating contact was a good place to start, though.

Despite the high prices, they decided to eat lunch at the museum’s food court. The convenience was worth it, and the food selection was decent, but because it was so crowded, Padmé snatched a small table while they waited for their food. Luckily, Obi-Wan was able to squeeze everything onto a single tray, so he only had to make one trip.

“How is it?” he asked after she took a bite of her rice dish.

“Not bad. How’s yours?”

“A little bland, but it’s edible.” They ate for a few minutes before Obi-Wan took that back. His lunch was beginning to taste like cardboard. Putting his fork down with a grimace, he said, “I looked into small publishers last night, and I didn’t realize there were so many. I especially hadn’t thought there’d be so many LGBT publishers. I was completely shocked to find that one of them had an aro/ace category. It never occurred to me that people would want to write about asexuality or aromanticism, and the fact that there are enough books to warrant creating a category . . . ”

“Well, it’s not like there’s only a handful of you,” Padmé said with a smile. “Besides, people like to see themselves in media, so if an asexual or aromantic person becomes a writer, they’d probably want to include that in their stories.” She continued eating, so at least her lunch couldn’t have been too bad.

“That’s true. I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought to look before. Then again, I don’t read much fiction outside of work.”

She opened the bottle of water they’d decided to share due to the cost. “What are you reading about now?”

“The history of American film censorship.”

“You’re always reading about such interesting topics,” she said after taking a few gulps and handing the bottle to him.

“I love to learn. I’m curious, as a librarian, what’s your opinion on e-readers?” While he drank, he wondered if it was strange that they were sharing when they hadn’t even kissed yet. Well, they hadn’t kissed on the lips at least.

“I think there are pros and cons with using e-readers. More kids are reading now because of them, and those with a visual impairment or reading disorder can benefit from using an e-reader. Yet, they’re not necessarily better for the environment, and some studies have shown that reading on paper is better for memory retention.” She shrugged. “I understand arguments both for and against e-readers, but I prefer books. What about you?”

“I also prefer books, but I’ve always been a little resistant to changes in technology.”

“Anakin likes having an e-reader because he can easily hold it with one hand.”

He hadn’t even thought about that. Anakin told him he didn’t wear his prosthetic when he was home unless he had to, and that was probably where he did most of his reading. “Spending time around Anakin has made me realize that I take a lot for granted.”

“Same here, but he adapts very quickly.” She put her dish on the tray. About half of it was still left, so her lunch must not have been very appetizing either. “He hates it when someone gives him a pat on the back for doing something simple, even if it’s not exactly simple for him.”

Obi-Wan held back a cringe. “I’m aware of that.”

Smiling a little, Padmé said, “I’ve done that too, but Anakin is forgiving. Just don’t make the same mistake twice.” Smile gone, she looked down at the table and started fiddling with the napkin in her hands. “Do you think this is weird?”

He had no idea what she was referring to and was taken aback by her rare display of nervousness. “What?”

She gestured between them. “You’ve been dating my husband, and now you’re here with me.”

It was actually a relief to know Padmé had her own moments of doubt. “I knew what I was getting myself into, and I’ve gotten used to the idea by now. After all, it’s been over a month since you told me.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t used to all the attention he was getting from them, but he didn’t mind it. In fact, it made him realize he was a little touch-starved. Although he’d admitted to himself that he’d been lonely, he didn’t know just how much he craved human contact and interaction until he started dating Anakin. As more time passed, it was easier for him to accept that he loved the small, casual touches Anakin gave him, but he still didn’t quite know how to ask for those touches. At least he could try to initiate physical contact to show he enjoyed being around them while he figured out how to use his words.

Padmé visibly relaxed and smiled again. “Sorry. Just as I’m sure you’ve been pinching yourself, I’ve been hoping this is for real too.”

“I understand completely.”

After they threw out their garbage, Padmé took his hand and led him to a bench right outside the food court, explaining that it would be rude to take up a table when they were done eating. The one bad thing about going on a date at the art museum was that they couldn’t really have a conversation while they walked around without disturbing the other patrons.

“You never did tell me why you wanted to be a librarian.”

Padmé leaned back and stretched her legs out before crossing them at the ankles. “It is an unusual career choice, isn’t it? It’s all my sister’s fault, really.”

Smiling, he also relaxed. “Why? What did she do?”

“Well, I wrote short stories when I was a kid. I only shared them with Sola, and one day, she put a flyer on my desk for a writing contest that was being held by our local library. It took a week of convincing to get me to enter, but I ended up winning third place. That was the start of it all. Before then, I had no idea the library was more than just books. I went to as many events as I could and knew everyone who worked there by name, even the volunteers. I basically learned how to use the Internet through them.”

“Let me guess. You became a volunteer as soon as you were old enough.”

She nodded. “I was their favorite, and the head librarian was so excited when I told her I wanted a career as a librarian. She gave me a lot of great advice that I use even today. I’m actually still in touch with her.”

“Having a mentor is important.” Obi-Wan had mostly been on his own, but there had been a few people who helped him during his internship to whom he owed a lot. “Do you still write?”

“I haven’t for some years. I was never good enough to be published, but I only wrote for fun anyway. Being a professional editor, I’m sure you’d think my stories are terrible.”

Obi-Wan had been trying to get rid of the habit of giving criticism even when it wasn’t asked for. Granted, it was always constructive criticism, but that didn’t matter to most people, and it had gotten him in trouble at his old job a few times. “There are plenty of published authors whose writing is awful, so being published doesn’t always mean much, but I would give you my honest opinion if you wanted it.”

She grinned as she bumped her shoulder into him. “Then you’re the total opposite of Anakin. It’s so hard to get an honest opinion out of him when it concerns me. He always says I look beautiful or that my sad attempts at cooking were a success.”

“I’m sure he just doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“Yeah, but he’s an awful liar, so I can always tell what he’s really thinking. Sometimes, I really do want him to say my hair looks weird or that dress looks ugly or the chicken is over-seasoned.”

Obi-Wan could almost understand where she was coming from, but because he’d grown up with such brutal honesty, he appreciated white lies more than the average person probably did. “Well, I’m sure if it was bad enough, he’d tell you. I can’t see him letting you walk out the door if you look like a complete disaster.”

“He doesn’t, but it’s funny watching him debate with himself about whether he should say something or not. It’s nice to know I wouldn’t have to ask you to be honest with me three times before you’d finally give in.”

He chuckled because of course Anakin would fret over telling his wife that anything about her didn’t look perfect.

“Hey, I just had a thought,” Padmé said while taking his hand and holding it in her lap. “What if you pick something to tell me about yourself? That way I won’t have to guess as to what you’re comfortable with, and I won’t end up making this date very awkward.”

He could do that. Quickly running through his past, he managed to find one memory that he could separate from its context and still have it make sense. “When I was 11 years old, I discovered a colony of stray cats in my neighborhood, and it turned out an elderly man who lived down the street from me had been feeding them for the past three years. He always said ‘hello’ whenever we crossed paths and asked how my day was going. Since most people in my neighborhood kept to themselves, he stood out to me.

“There were roughly 14 cats, and all of them were nervous around humans, except for one. Mr. Taylor had named her Poppy, and he’d watched her grow up from a kitten. While many of the cats had known him from birth, only Poppy wasn’t skittish around him, and he had no idea why. Mr. Taylor asked if I would like to help feed them after school, and even though we were taught as children to beware of strangers, I figured as long as I didn’t go inside his house, I was safe. I also helped him trap some of the younger ones so that he could bring them to the vet to get fixed. He didn’t want the colony to get any bigger.”

“Did Poppy ever get used to you?”

“No. I helped Mr. Taylor for about a year, but she wouldn’t let me go near her. He told me not to take it personally because some cats are very picky about which humans they like. Mr. Taylor was well-informed about cats and many other animals. I enjoyed talking with him. He didn’t treat me as an adult, but at the same time, he wasn’t condescending toward me. I think he understood that although I didn’t view him as a stranger anymore, that boundary should always be in place, so he never asked if I wanted to come inside, and he left the gate wide open when we sat in his backyard. Not once did I ever feel nervous around him.

“Looking back on it, I’m almost positive he was gay. He lived alone, but he talked about having a roommate he’d been very close with for 15 years before the man had died in a car accident. At the time, I thought it was strange Mr. Taylor had never gotten married, but now I’m quite sure that ‘roommate’ had been his lover.”

“What happened to him?”

“I don’t know, actually.  One day, he said I should stop coming by. He wasn’t unkind about it, but he didn’t give me a reason, and I was quite upset. Mr. Taylor had become something of a friend.” And he was one of the very few adults in Obi-Wan’s life at the time whom he felt he could trust. “It wasn’t until later in the week that another neighbor approached me and asked how I was doing because she heard I’d been spending time with Mr. Taylor. I couldn’t understand the worry and disgust in her voice, but I wouldn’t doubt there were rumors he was gay, and some people _still_ think gay men shouldn’t be around children. He moved away shortly after that, and the family who moved into his house had the colony removed. I like to think they were just relocated and not euthanized.” He paused and looked down at his lap. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have picked something with a depressing ending.”

Padmé squeezed his hand. “It’s alright. I want to know about the times that weren’t so great because they’re just as much a part of you as the times that were. Please don’t feel like you can’t share sad memories with us.”

No one had ever said that to him before, and for a split second, he wanted to tell her about how much he hated his parents, about how broken he still felt, about why it sometimes took him hours to fall asleep after spending time with her or Anakin because he was so afraid of losing them. Instead, he squeezed her hand back and gave her a small smile. “Why don’t we head over to the South Asian wing?”

“Good idea.”

They spent another few hours at the museum, and they ended their date with the exhibition on Japanese woodblock prints. There was a video that showed how the prints were made and that some people in Japan still made woodblock prints, but with modern styles of art. Obi-Wan found it fascinating how much work went into making a single image.

Padmé quietly told him that her sister had spent a semester abroad in southwestern Japan and had brought back a gorgeous wall scroll for her, which was currently hanging in her office. “I’ll have to show it to you one day,” she whispered as she stepped closer into his side.

He smiled down at her and hoped the faint heat in his cheeks wasn’t a noticeable blush.

Before they walked down the steps to get back to the street, Padmé held his hands in hers and took a deep breath. “Would you like to join us for dinner at our apartment tonight? Of course, if you already have something planned, that’s fine.”

Obi-Wan was caught off-guard by the invite, but he didn’t have the knee-jerk reaction to say “no.” It would actually be good to see how the three of them interacted with each other because so far, they’d only been in pairs. Would he feel like an outsider? They were the well-established couple of three years while Obi-Wan was the newcomer.

“I would like that,” he said quietly, and the smile she gave him made his stomach do flips.

After they set up a time, and Obi-Wan said he wasn’t a picky eater, he went home to catch up on one of his shows. As soon as he stepped inside his apartment, though, he lost the desire to watch anything. Instead, he went into the kitchen and began preparing a cup of tea while he desperately tried not to drown in very familiar, negative thoughts.

It had to end eventually. That was what always happened. He just got lucky that they’d been willing to put up with him for this long. What did such lovely people see in him anyway? On top of not being all that interested in sex, he was nearing 40 years old and barely did anything outside of work. Obi-Wan had maybe another month before they realized they were wasting their time with him.

For at least an hour, all he could focus on was how inadequate he was as a partner, and he came up with dozens of reasons as to why they should move on. The worst part was that he didn’t actually want them to leave him. He cherished the time they spent together, and he wanted to know what life could be like with them. But his fear of being thrown away, of being seeing as worthless, was taking over again.

When he should have been making his way upstairs, Obi-Wan was sitting on his couch, nauseous at the thought of seeing them. Even though he felt horrible about bailing on them, especially when he knew Anakin had cooked, he texted Padmé to say he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t make it. Technically, he wasn’t lying.

Not even 10 minutes later, there was a knock on his door. This was it. Padmé had come down to say he was full of shit and they wanted nothing to do with him. Filled with dread, he looked through the peephole and saw it was indeed Padmé, but she was holding a container. Would she give him something if she was getting rid of him? Maybe she believed that he wasn’t feeling well and was giving him comfort food. Obi-Wan was terrified she would take one look at him and know what was truly going on, but it would be rude to turn her away.

“Hi,” she said once he opened the door. “I brought soup. Anakin made it yesterday, and it’s mild enough that it shouldn’t upset your stomach.”

He could only stare at the container. “Thank you.” When she didn’t make a move to hand it over, his heartbeat sped up.

“Are you alright? I mean, besides feeling ill.”

“I’m fine.” That didn’t sound convincing at all.

Padmé took a small step forward. “I don’t buy it. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He walked away, leaving the door open. He knew it was useless to tell her to leave.

She closed the door and set the container down on his coffee table. “I understand if—”

“Padmé, what are we doing?” He turned to face her, and she didn’t look shocked in the slightest. _The soup is a decoy. She knows something is wrong._ “What am _I_ doing? This won’t go anywhere. You’ll both become tired of me soon enough, and I’ll wonder why I tried to fool myself into thinking I could have any of this.”

She stared at him, emotionless, and took out her phone from the back pocket of the jeans she now wore. She quickly typed something and put it on top of the soup instead of back in her pocket.

He narrowed his eyes at her phone in suspicion. “Why do you even have that with you when you were only going downstairs?”

“Because my intuition has rarely led me astray. Sit down please,” she said calmly.

Obi-Wan had no idea what was going on, but when she gestured to the couch, he reluctantly sat down. As soon as he did, his front door opened and Anakin walked in, slightly out of breath. Obi-Wan should have seen that coming because of course Padmé had texted him. _This feels like an intervention._

Padmé motioned for him to move over, and she sighed when he only frowned at her. “I can kneel on the floor instead.”

Believing she would, he moved, and she sat on his right while Anakin sat on his left.

“Now why do you think we’ll become tired of you?”

“Because I’m old and boring and have nothing to offer in a relationship.” Hearing that out loud was like a slap in the face. _I really don’t like myself, do I?_ Glancing at both of them, he could tell they were thinking the same thing. He swallowed hard and wished he hadn’t answered the door. “I know how that sounds, but it’s the truth.”

“No, it’s not,” Anakin said. “You’re not old—and I promise I’ll never tease you about your age again—you’re not boring, and you have plenty to offer.”

Obi-Wan looked at him, unimpressed. He didn’t want empty words. “Like what?” Anakin would blank on an answer, proving Obi-Wan right, and then he could nicely tell them to leave.

But Anakin’s reply was immediate. “The ability to listen and offer advice, knowing when you fucked up and learning from your mistakes, being willing to try new things, being honest about who you are so that _we_ don’t fuck up, and having eyes I could get lost in for hours.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him at that last one, which he guessed was what Anakin was going for.

“We’ve never felt like we were wasting our time with you,” Padmé said. “We enjoy being with you, Obi-Wan, and I’m sorry for inviting you over. I was moving too quickly.”

“You weren’t. I was curious how the three of us would interact with each other.” He sagged between them, and he was no longer sure if he wanted them to leave or stay. “I just . . . Sometimes, I have these moments of extreme self-doubt, and my thoughts spiral out of control.” Obi-Wan hated making himself that vulnerable, but he somehow knew they wouldn’t take advantage of that.

They were quiet for a minute, and Obi-Wan wondered if they were silently communicating with each other over his head.

“May I touch you?” Padmé asked, and when he nodded, she placed her hand on his back. “Is there anything we can do to help when that happens?”

“I don’t know.”

“We can tell you how amazing you are,” Anakin suggested.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and smiled. “That’s kind of you, but I’m not—”

“Yes, you are!”

His eyes snapped open. Anakin was always so full of surprises.

“Ani . . . ” Padmé whispered.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t understand why you can’t see what we see.”

Staring at the coffee table in front of him, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and noticed Padmé hadn’t removed her hand from his back. In that moment, it was a much needed anchor. _If I don’t say it, this conversation will keep happening until they truly do grow tired of me. This is the only way they’ll understand._ Holding on to Padmé’s words from the museum, he forced himself believe they wouldn’t shatter his heart because of what he was about to tell them.

“Growing up, I felt like a burden, and although that word was never actually used, it didn’t need to be. I was the unexpected child, unwanted.” Getting that much out was almost painful, but Obi-Wan knew if he stopped for more than a few seconds, he’d lose the nerve to say the rest. “My parents didn’t give any of us affection except for the occasional awkward one-armed hug, and I don’t think they knew _how_ to be affectionate, not even with each other. They didn’t exactly get along most of the time. My father would yell at me for showing ‘weak’ emotions because men don’t cry or show compassion. He even told me once that men who act like women deserve to be shot. And of course, all of this stayed behind closed doors. In public, they acted like we were a perfect family. They were good Christians who went to church every Sunday and dragged us along with them so we could hear how everything we do will damn us to hell.

“Between how my parents made me feel as a child and how every potential partner made me feel as an adult, it’s so hard for me to accept that I’m . . . worth the effort. I try not to think that way, but . . . Well, it’s a habit that’s difficult to break when only one person has told me I’m wrong. Then again, she’s the only person I’ve ever told any of this to.”

Neither of them said anything, but that didn’t surprise Obi-Wan. What did someone say to that? He kept his eyes on the table, not wanting to see the pity he knew would be in their eyes. He hoped he hadn’t made a huge mistake in revealing his past to them, but he did have to admit it felt good not to have that secret hanging over him anymore.

“I had a feeling your parents were abusive,” Anakin said quietly.

When Obi-Wan looked at him, he saw barely restrained anger instead of pity, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that reaction. “They weren’t abusive. They never hit me.” Knowing his father _would_ hit him if he found out about Anakin didn’t count. “They were just terrible parents.”

Padmé rubbed small circles into his back. “Not all abuse is physical. I’m so sorry you went through that, but thank you for trusting us enough to open up about it. I want you to know that we truly do care about you, Obi-Wan.”

“And your parents can go swallow a nest of angry wasps,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan laughed as his eyes began to tear up. “That is such an odd thing to say. And wasps are always angry.”

“True. They’re flying bastards, like you parents . . . except your parents can’t fly.”

“I think he gets the idea,” Padmé said, smiling a little.

Obi-Wan laughed again, and this time, tears actually fell. He quickly wiped them away, hoping his partners—could he call them that?—hadn’t noticed. The last time he cried in front of someone was on that drunken night with Satine all those years ago.

Padmé moved closer and wrapped her arm around him. “It’s okay to cry,” she whispered.

Anakin hesitantly reached over and put his left hand on Obi-Wan’s knee. “You mean a lot to us, and we want you to feel comfortable with being emotional. Seriously, you can let go and get snot all over me. I won’t mind.”

Smiling, Obi-Wan put one hand over Anakin’s and the other over Padmé’s at his waist. He took a shaky breath and blinked a few more tears free, letting them roll down his cheeks. “Thank you.”

Obi-Wan didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but by the time they both gave him a hug and made him promise to call if he needed anything, he felt so drained that he could probably sleep for 10 hours straight. Obi-Wan could tell that neither of them actually wanted to leave, and a small part of him wanted to ask them to stay, which was ridiculous. His bed wasn’t big enough for three people. But the way they held him . . . What would it feel like to wake up in their arms?

He walked them to the door as he tried to banish that thought. “I’m sorry for ruining—”

Padmé held up a hand to cut him off. “You ruined nothing,” she said gently before she kissed his cheek. “Good night, Obi-Wan.”

Anakin kissed his other cheek. “Good night.”

Just as Padmé opened the door, Obi-Wan blurted out, “Could I have a raincheck on dinner?”

“Absolutely,” Anakin said.

Once they left, Obi-Wan put the forgotten soup in the fridge and immediately got ready for bed. Anakin would be upset with him for skipping dinner, especially after barely eating lunch, but he just didn’t have an appetite. Even though Anakin wasn’t as subtle about worrying over Obi-Wan’s eating habits as he thought he was, it didn’t actually bother Obi-Wan. It was nice to have someone besides Satine who cared about his well-being without making him feel like a child who couldn’t take care of himself.

Getting under the covers was a relief. He’d had such a long day, and he certainly hadn’t woken up that morning expecting to pour out his soul, but he was glad he did it. Their feelings for him had to be genuine, or they would have run screaming after learning about just how many issues he had. They really did want him in their lives, and he fell asleep hoping that would never change.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for making you all wait for over a month. At least it’s a little longer than the other chapters.

The next morning, Anakin agreed with Padmé about giving Obi-Wan space, but not so much space that he thought they were done with him. Anakin was so out of his depth when it came to dealing with other people’s trauma, but Padmé could remain level-headed even under the most extreme situations, so it was better to follow her lead.

He hadn’t wanted to be right about Obi-Wan’s childhood, and his heart broke every time he remembered Obi-Wan quietly falling apart between them. If Anakin ever met those demons, especially Obi-Wan’s father, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back. At least he doubted they would ever want to visit their son. They were probably glad he left the country.

After spending most of the morning tinkering in his workshop to burn off the residual anger, Anakin came out into the living room to sit next to Padmé. She’d gone into Netflix and put on The Great British Baking Show. The strangest things helped her to destress.

“Do you think I should wait longer before texting him?” Anakin asked.

“No, it’s almost noon. Crap, it’s almost noon, and I’m still sitting here in my pajamas.”

He smiled and rubbed her thigh. She was wearing her softest sleep pants. “Hey, I’m not judging.”

Smiling herself, she paused the show and got up from the couch to stretch. “Just ask him how he’s doing and take it from there. Don’t call unless he asks you to, though.”

“Got it,” he said as she walked away.

_< How are you?>_

It didn’t take too long for Obi-Wan to reply. _< Tired. Have you ever gotten so much sleep in a single night that you wake up feeling exhausted?>_

Anakin didn’t usually sleep more than seven hours, but there had been a few occasions where he slept much longer than he meant to on a weekend and actually felt worse. _< Yeah and it makes no sense>_ When a few minutes of no communication went by, he tried to think of what to say without coming off as awkward, but Obi-Wan beat him to it.

_< I’m sorry if I made you and Padmé uncomfortable.>_

Anakin frowned at his phone. Had they acted like they were? Before Anakin could tell him that hadn’t been the case at all, he got another text.

_< I knew both of you would never understand why I’m like this if I didn’t tell you, but I’m sure there was a better way to approach it.>_

It didn’t matter if there was a better way. They were just relieved that he was willing to open up to them.

_< We’re fine. We’re glad you told us. And if you want some company today just let me know>_

About a minute later, Obi-Wan sent him a “thank you,” which seemed to end the conversation.

Anakin didn’t hear from Obi-Wan for the rest of the day, and Padmé had to keep reminding him they were giving Obi-Wan space, so no texting or calling. But he got nervous when he still hadn’t heard from Obi-Wan by Tuesday night. By that point, even Padmé was concerned.

“Make some brownies,” she suggested after they finished eating dinner.

“What? You think he’ll somehow smell them from downstairs and come up looking for a snack?”

She gave him a look as if she felt like she was talking to a naive teenager. He hated that look. “No, make brownies so you can ask if he’d like some, which would give you an excuse to go down there to check up on him.”

“Oh.” In his defense, his brain had a tendency to not cooperate after a long day at work. “What if he doesn’t want any?”

Padmé shrugged. “Then turn it into a conversation.”

That was her forte, but he’d never get better at it if he didn’t try. Since Obi-Wan had a hard time turning down baked goods, it probably wouldn’t come to that anyway.

Anakin quickly made the brownie batter, and he sent Obi-Wan a text once he got the pan in the oven. _< Hey, I’m baking brownies. Would you like some? / They’re boxed though. I don’t do brownies from scratch> _He received a reply in about 30 seconds, which was encouraging.

_< Yes, please.>_

“Your idea worked,” Anakin said as he walked out of the kitchen. “Do you want to come down with me?”

“No, I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

She had a point. The three of them being together was still very new, and Obi-Wan might not appreciate that much attention so soon. Padmé had told Anakin he should join her downstairs Saturday night only if it was extremely necessary, and he’d paced their living room with his phone in his hand, hoping she wouldn’t text him because that would mean her hunch was wrong and Obi-Wan had actually fallen ill. Him being sick would have been better than the alternative, but at least it all worked out in the end.

Although Anakin was able to wait patiently while the brownies were in the oven, he got antsy while he waited for them to cool enough to cut and take out of the pan. Anakin put a decent amount on a plate, got one of his favorite stencils, and shook some confectioners sugar on top. He liked adding little details because putting in some extra thought let the person know how much he cared about them.

“Wish me luck,” Anakin said as he opened the door.

Padmé looked up from her phone and smiled. “It’ll be fine.”

 _Stay positive. I’m not going to mess anything up. Just find out how Obi-Wan is doing and ask when he’d like to get together for dinner._ Obi-Wan had probably gone quiet for the last two days because he’d been busy, which wouldn’t be the first time. His silence only made them worry because of what had happened on Saturday.

Anakin rang the doorbell and waited. _Crap, I forgot to check my hair. I bet I look like a disaster._

When the door opened, Obi-Wan stared at him for a second before a corner of his mouth quirked up. “You have flour here,” he said, pointing at his own cheek.

Anakin sighed. Of course he got confectioners sugar on his face. Laughing, he handed the plate over to Obi-Wan and rubbed at his cheek. “Gone?”

“Yes, and thank you,” he said as he held the foil-covered plate up a little higher.

“You’re welcome. Padmé was in the mood for brownies, and they don’t take long to make, so I thought I’d ask if you wanted some.” Anakin had to stop himself before he really started to babble. They looked at each other as if they didn’t know how to progress, but at least Obi-Wan wasn’t shooing him away. Maybe he was waiting for Anakin to make a move. “Um, if you aren’t busy, could I . . . ” He looked over Obi-Wan’s shoulder at the couch.

Obi-Wan stepped aside and opened the door a little wider. “Do you want something to drink?” he asked as he headed toward the kitchen.

“No thanks. I’m good.”

When Obi-Wan returned to the living room, he hesitated, and Anakin was about to ask him what was wrong before he saw the way Obi-Wan’s eyes flickered between the armchair and the couch. Obi-Wan was debating on where to sit.

_Please sit next to me._

Obi-Wan walked over to the couch and did just that. He even sat _close_ to Anakin.

Anakin smiled as he took Obi-Wan’s hand and laced their fingers together, and he was overjoyed when Obi-Wan didn’t reject him. “How are you?”

“I’m alright,” he said while he looked down at their joined hands. “Anakin . . . why did you think my parents abused me?”

He shrugged. “What little you told me about them made it seem like that was the case. I never told Padmé my suspicion.”

“Thank you for that.”

Silence fell between them, and Anakin almost rested his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. That would be something new, something he wasn’t sure Obi-Wan would be okay with, and he felt funny asking for permission in that moment. In fact, he wasn’t sure if Obi-Wan got annoyed when he did ask for permission. Padmé asking if she could touch him Saturday night made sense because of how upset he was, and even Anakin didn’t always like to be touched when he was upset. Thinking about Saturday night, an idea struck him.

“Y’know, if you ever need a reminder of how much we like you, just tell us.” Obi-Wan didn’t give a reaction, but that didn’t deter Anakin from continuing. “I mean, I can get like that. Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day, I need Padmé to say she loves me. Cuddling definitely helps too.”

Obi-Wan smiled a little as he squeezed Anakin’s hand. “Thank you. I will keep that in mind.”

Anakin hoped he wasn’t just saying that. “Hey, um, what night are you free? You said you wanted a raincheck on dinner.”

He briefly looked up at the ceiling, presumably going over his schedule in his head. “How about Saturday?”

“That’s not good for Padmé. Can you do Friday instead?” They were usually pretty tired on Fridays, but they’d suck it up for him.

“I wouldn’t ask you to cook after working all day.”

Anakin brought Obi-Wan’s hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it, pleased to see that Obi-Wan’s only outward reaction was a slight raise of his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t mind at all. I know a few chicken recipes that are easy to make. Even Padmé could help.”

“Alright,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

“Great!” Anakin beamed at him. “Normally, Saturday nights are fine, but because Rosh Hashanah starts on a Sunday this year, Padmé’s parents guilted her into staying at their house over the weekend so they can go through all the traditions together. I think Sola and her family will be staying there too. Padmé said you met her at the café.”

“I did. You won’t be going with her?”

Anakin shook his head. “Because I’m not Jewish, I just go to the dinners. No one in Padmé’s family treats me like an outsider, so I like going there. I think it helps that they know I’ve done a lot of research. Even though I don’t want to convert, I respect their religion and their customs.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about Judaism,” he said with a slight frown. “I suppose I should rectify that.”

“I can give you my really long list of references. I’m actually still going through it, but it’s been really helpful so far. And way down the road, if you want to know more, I can give you the name of the rabbi I’ve spoken with a few times. He’s very open to talking about Judaism with non-Jewish people.”

“Thank you.” Looking down at their hands, fingers still interlaced, Obi-Wan tilted his head a bit. “What does Judaism say about being in multiple relationships?”

“Huh, I . . . actually don’t know.” In all his talks about polyamory with Padmé, religion had only come up once, but it was in the context of what her parents would think if she ever told them. Anakin hadn’t gotten the impression that her parents’ disapproval would solely be based on religion. Just as Christians sometimes twisted their religion to suit their needs—Jesus would not be happy with all those conservatives who hated the poor—he didn’t doubt that people of other faiths did the same. “If you’re worried about her being disowned by her family or anything drastic like that, don’t be. She’d get them to understand.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

They lapsed into silence again, but from the way Obi-Wan opened and closed his mouth, Anakin was sure there was something he wanted to say. He did his best to wait patiently because whenever Obi-Wan tried to gather the courage to say something, it was best to give him time. Anakin learned from experience that asking Obi-Wan about it only made him clam up.

“You really don’t mind having to put up with me?”

The desire to cause major bodily harm to Obi-Wan’s parents came roaring back, which he did his best to tamp down. “We’re not ‘putting up with you.’ Every relationship has its challenges, and you’re definitely worth the effort.”

When he looked at Anakin, it felt like he was searching for something. “My childhood is not a topic I like to discuss, so I probably won’t bring it up again unless I have to.”

“That’s okay. There are things about my own past I don’t like to talk about.” The tiny smile Obi-Wan gave Anakin made him think he was happy with whatever he found. At least this conversation was going well, but Anakin knew that the more at ease he felt with someone, the less likely his awkwardness would get the better of him.

“Thank you again for the brownies,” Obi-Wan said as he started to pull his hand away from Anakin’s.

Anakin didn’t resist and got up from the couch as Obi-Wan did the same. “Sure. Is 6:30 on Friday okay?”

“Yes.” His tiny smile grew into a bright one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Anakin couldn’t help himself. Drawn to that smile, he rested his palm against Obi-Wan’s cheek, and when Obi-Wan closed his eyes, Anakin took that as permission to kiss him. He wished he could give him a real kiss, but he was honored that Obi-Wan was comfortable enough to let him get that close. After he pulled back, he rested his forehead against Obi-Wan’s. “Me too,” he whispered.

\------

As soon as Anakin got home from work, he turned the oven on and started getting all his supplies out. He was going to make pineapple chicken with a side of wild rice and green beans. He’d made the pineapple sauce the night before, so that saved some time. When Padmé got home 15 minutes later, she helped in whatever way she could.

Both of them were pretty sure Obi-Wan would come this time, but he was difficult to predict since Padmé said their date had ended fine. She had no clue what triggered him.

Their doorbell rang at exactly 6:30, causing Anakin to break out into a grin and Padmé to sigh in relief. She got the door while he finished spooning the rice into a ceramic dish, and that was when it hit him. If this dinner didn’t go well, they wouldn’t become a triad. Obi-Wan had said he wanted to see how the three of them interacted together. _No. Even if this gets awkward, it can’t end here. He has to give it another shot._ Anakin did his best to shed his sudden nervousness as he brought the dish out to the table.

As Padmé went into the kitchen with a bottle of wine that Obi-Wan must have brought, Anakin went over to Obi-Wan and greeted him with a tight hug. “I’m really glad you came.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “So am I. And it smells delicious in here. What are we having?”

“Thank you! It’s pineapple chicken with wild rice and green beans.”

“Ah, then I picked a good wine.”

“You didn’t have to bring anything.” Anakin knew next to nothing about wine since he preferred fruity cocktails, but the gesture was appreciated.

“I didn’t want to be rude, especially since you’ve brought me so many deserts.”

“But I enjoy baking. I don’t expect anything in return.”

Obi-Wan gave Anakin’s shoulder a brief squeeze. “I know.”

After Padmé came back out with the open bottle and three wine glasses, Anakin nodded at her. They were all set. Anakin sat across from Padmé while she gestured to the third chair that would put Obi-Wan between them at the head of the table. They were trying their best to make him to feel included and not like the third wheel.

“How was your day?” Obi-Wan asked as he sat down, clearly addressing both of them.

Anakin passed the chicken dish to him. “I found out that I’m starting a new project next week. They’re looking to make a low-cost prosthetic arm, and they want my input as both an amputee and an engineer. I’m really excited about it.”

“Sounds like you’ll be moving up in the company soon,” Obi-Wan said.

“Maybe. I’ve mentioned wanting to work on low-cost prosthetics before, so that’s probably why my boss suggested me. Padmé didn’t have such a great day, though.”

Accepting the chicken dish from Obi-Wan, she smiled sadly and shook her head. “One of the urinals overflowed on the second floor, and no one noticed for at least 20 minutes. Of course, the drain in the floor backed up, so now a good portion of the rug outside the bathroom will have to be replaced, but it could have been worse.”

Obi-Wan laughed. “What an odd thing to happen. I’ve never heard of a urinal overflowing.”

“Me neither,” Padmé said as she passed the green beans to him. “How was _your_ day?”

“It was fine. My job isn’t exactly full of excitement.”

Anakin still thought what he did was interesting. Before meeting Obi-Wan, he had no idea developmental editors existed. “What kind of stories are you working on right now?”

“I started going over a novel this week, and everything else I’m working on are short stories that are going into various anthologies. The novel is a horror story, which is a nice change of pace.”

Anakin laughed when Padmé sat up a little straighter. “Padmé loves horror.”

“Yes, she mentioned that during one of our lunches,” he said, smiling.

She leaned toward him slightly. “I didn’t know you work on horror stories.”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I’ll work on almost any genre.”

“Except for romance,” Anakin said. They’d gone over this topic before.

“What’s wrong with romance?” Padmé asked.

“Nothing. I’ve just never been entirely comfortable with it as a genre. I don’t mind if romance isn’t the main focus, though.” He took a bite of chicken and smiled a little. “This is very good.”

“Thank you,” Anakin said, smiling back.

It was something he’d made many times, so he was confident that it would turn out alright. Anakin wasn’t about to try a new recipe on such an occasion. Padmé ate the chicken and rice together while giving him a thumbs-up. _So that’s one disaster averted._ He was even happier that Obi-Wan had put a decent amount of food on his plate. He still hadn’t figured out how to ask him about his poor eating habits without sounding like he was mothering him.

“Do sex scenes bother you?” she asked once she finished chewing.

“They used to, but I’ve become desensitized over the years.” He stabbed at the green beans a few times before he finally got a few to stay on his fork. “While I have no idea how realistic any of them were, I’ve been told that’s usually not the point.”

Anakin always felt embarrassed reading sex scenes, even when he was alone, so he generally preferred his romance to be free of explicit sex. Padmé had asked him to read one a little over a year after they started dating because she wanted to try it with him, and that was the only reason he got turned on from reading it.

After eating for a few minutes, Anakin put down his flatware and waited until Obi-Wan was done chewing to say, “Obi-Wan, I have a very important question for you.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Are you a cat person or a dog person?” It wasn’t until Obi-Wan’s shoulders relaxed that Anakin realized Obi-Wan had tensed up before he’d asked his question. Anakin had only been joking around, but now he felt like an asshole. Padmé gently tapped his shin with her foot, so she must have noticed as well. _Yeah, I really do have to be more careful with him._

“I’ve never had a pet, but I suppose I prefer cats over dogs. They’re not as loud as dogs, and they’re more independent.”

Relieved, Anakin smiled. “I’ve always wanted a cat. My best friend had one when we were kids, and he swore she knew whenever he was having a rough time because that’s when she’d crawl into his lap and purr.”

Obi-Wan turned to Padmé. “Do you not like cats?”

“I have no problem with them, but I’d rather we wait until we have a house before we get a pet. At one point, Anakin was dead set on getting a lizard, but I had to put my foot down. No reptiles or tarantulas.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes went comically wide as he slowly looked at Anakin. “You . . . wanted a tarantula?”

“Are you really that surprised? I tried to ease Padmé into the idea of a caged pet by starting with what I knew she’d reject, so I went from tarantula to ball python to leopard gecko. I thought I almost had her with the ball python, though.” He gave Padmé an exaggerated pout, to which she smiled and rolled her eyes. “C’mon! They’re cute!”

“Ani, no snake is cute.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I have nothing against snakes, but I wouldn’t say they’re cute.”

Anakin picked up his knife and fork and went back to cutting his chicken. He would have to show Obi-Wan pictures later. Ball pythons were adorable, and he managed to convince some of his coworkers of this truth through pictures of the snakes wearing little hats. “You’ve really never had a pet, not even after you moved to the US?”

“I’ve been too busy.”

“For 12 years?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said curtly as he stabbed at his chicken with a little too much force.

Anakin dropped the subject immediately. He didn’t want to annoy Obi-Wan, especially since so much was riding on this night.

“Sometimes,” Padmé said, “it feels like Anakin’s robots are our pets.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows slightly while he chewed. Upon swallowing, he looked at Anakin and asked, “You have more than one?”

 _Nice save, Padmé_. “Yeah, but I mostly work on Artoo.”

“What does that stand for anyway?”

“It doesn’t stand for anything. It’s just a naming system I came up with as a kid because I thought I sounded cool.” If he was being honest, he still thought it was cool, which was why he still used it. “And Artoo’s not a pet. He’s more like a— You’ll laugh.”

“I promise I won’t,” Obi-Wan said, a corner of his mouth turned upward. He looked so kissable in that moment.

“He’s a friend. I’ve always thought of the robots I built as friends, but I know that sounds stupid.”

Padmé reached across the table, her fingers grazing the back of his hand. “It’s not stupid, Ani.”

“It is a bit strange to me,” Obi-Wan said slowly, “but maybe I would understand if I saw Artoo.”

Anakin grinned. “I’ll bring him out after dinner.” He’d been wanting to show him off to Obi-Wan ever since their first date.

“Did you get the latest bugs worked out?” Padmé asked.

“Yeah. I’m still struggling to get him connected through WiFi, but his speech module is working well.”

Obi-Wan paused in bringing his glass up to his mouth. “Wait, it talks?”

“Not yet. It’s only for speech recognition, and I’ve written code for about 40 words or phrases so far. But he can communicate by emitting certain sounds, like there’s a set of beeps for ‘hello’ and a whistle for ‘I’m tired,’ which means his battery is running low.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Now I’m very curious.”

They spent the next five minutes or so eating in silence, and Anakin no longer had to control himself when it came to how fast he was clearing his plate. When he was nervous while eating, he practically shoveled food into his mouth, so up until that point, he’d been consciously slowing himself down. Now, though, he was relaxed enough that he could eat at a pace similar to his partners’.

Once Padmé only had a small portion of chicken left on her plate, she put her utensils down and leaned back in her chair. “I’m stuffed. Thank you for dinner, Ani. It was delicious.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, holding up his glass as if giving a toast, “this is best meal I’ve eaten in weeks. Thank you.”

With food in his mouth, Anakin just smiled and nodded.

Padmé took a sip of wine and looked up at the ceiling in a way Anakin knew meant she was about to say something interesting. “So I started writing the other day.”

Anakin quickly chewed and swallowed so he could gasp in delight. “That’s great! I love your old stories. What are you writing about now? When can I see it?”

“Ani, I only wrote one page,” she said, laughing. “And I’m so rusty that it’ll be a while before I let you see any of it.”

“What made you go back to writing?” Obi-Wan asked as he got the last his rice onto his fork.

“Talking about it with you made me a little nostalgic, and I had an idea that might not work, but it’s worth a shot.”

“An idea for what?” Anakin asked. Having finished eating, he sat back while he swirled the wine in his glass. The wine was a little sweet, so he was fine with drinking it with the meal, but he didn’t feel like drinking it on its own. He was only going to finish what was in his glass so as not to be rude to Obi-Wan.

“A way to tell my parents I’m poly.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. “You want to write a story about polyamory and give it to them as a sort of icebreaker.”

Grinning, she leaned toward him. “Yes, exactly! They bugged me when I was a kid about wanting to read my stories, so they definitely wouldn’t decline my offer now.”

Anakin didn’t think it was a bad idea. If Obi-Wan had given him a story about asexuality before coming out to him, he would have had a much better reaction. “Would it be about us?”

“No, a completely fictitious triad, but I want to give them a foundation so that they won’t jump to conclusions when I tell them about Obi-Wan.” Padmé looked at Obi-Wan with a hesitant smile. “If you decide you don’t want to be with us before I tell them, then I’ll hold off.”

His expression went curiously blank. “If I decide—” Slouching in his chair ever so slightly, Obi-Wan shook his head. “I sincerely doubt this will end because I want to leave,” he said quietly.

So Obi-Wan still thought they would get tired of him. Anakin had to be realistic. Obi-Wan’s issues around his self-worth weren’t going to disappear in a week just because they told him he was wrong, that they cared about him. They would probably have to _keep_ telling him, but Anakin wouldn’t mind. He would tell Obi-Wan he loved him however many times he needed to hear it.

_Oh . . . I love him._

“Are you happy with us?” Padmé asked.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly.

“We’re happy with you too. I’m sorry. I should have made that statement neutral by saying ‘if it doesn’t work out.’”

Smiling a little, he visibly relaxed and looked at Anakin. “Is something wrong? You have a very peculiar look on your face.”

Anakin sat up straight and waved his hand back and forth. “No, no, I’m fine.”

And he really was fine because being in love made him so unbelievably happy. _God, I_ love _him._ It didn’t matter that they’d only been dating for a little over a month. Anakin had fallen in love with Padmé in around the same amount of time, but they’d been friends first, so the situation wasn’t exactly the same. Anakin wished he could pull Obi-Wan up from his chair and give him the biggest hug.

“Are you _sure_ you’re alright?” Obi-Wan asked.

Padmé was frowning suspiciously because she always knew when he was hiding something. Although Obi-Wan definitely wouldn’t handle it well if he confessed, he could at least tell Padmé.

“Yeah, I promise.”

Anakin saw Padmé perk up out of the corner of his eye. Had she already figured it out?

Obi-Wan looked at him for a moment longer, eyebrow raised, before he turned back to Padmé. “If you want me to go over the story at some point, let me know.”

“But you’re busy with work, or I could pay you?”

He huffed out a laugh. “You wouldn’t have to pay me.”

Padmé smiled and thanked him as she got up.

They had all finished eating, and if they wanted to keep talking, it would be more comfortable to do so on the couch. Both her and Obi-Wan offered to clean up since Anakin did the cooking, so he went into his workshop to turn Artoo on.

“Hey, buddy.”

Artoo gave him his “hello” chirp.

“You’re going to meet a very special friend, so please be on your best behavior.” When Artoo let out a whistle that meant he was confused, Anakin patted his domed head with a chuckle. “I’m sorry. I’ll write more code for you this weekend.” Once he got to the doorway, he said, “Follow me.”

Artoo put his third leg forward and rolled toward him.

Once they reached the living room, Anakin held out his hand, palm facing Artoo, and Artoo stopped. He wanted to try helping one more time, but as soon as he entered the kitchen, both Padmé and Obi-Wan made shooing motions. It was a lost cause.

“Okay, Artoo, keep me company?”

Artoo gave an affirmative beep and followed him to the couch, where he retracted his third leg to stand next to him.

“How are you feeling?”

He let out a string of happy-sounding beeps.

“That’s good,” Anakin said pleasantly.

By the time Obi-Wan and Padmé exited the kitchen, Obi-Wan was smiling so beautifully that Anakin thought he would melt into the couch. He wanted to get used to seeing that joyous expression on Obi-Wan’s face just like he’d gotten used to seeing it on Padmé’s, and he didn’t even care if the laughter he’d heard earlier was at his expense. Padmé almost surely thought Obi-Wan had been dating him long enough to share some embarrassing stories, so he didn’t doubt that was the case.

Obi-Wan stopped and stared at Artoo with wide eyes. “Is that your robot?”

“Yup. Hey, Artoo,” he said to get his attention, and when Artoo looked at him, he pointed at Obi-Wan. “Say ‘hello.’”

Artoo swiveled his head toward Obi-Wan and beeped out a greeting.

“It’s much bigger than I was picturing,” Obi-Wan said.

After telling someone he’d built Artoo from scratch, they tended not to believe Anakin when he said how big Artoo was, but that never bothered him. “Artoo, give a demonstration please.”

He rolled over to Obi-Wan and circled him once before he opened his main compartment and brought out his claw.

“That’s his version of a handshake,” Anakin said.

“Oh.” Obi-Wan knelt down and gingerly shook Artoo’s claw. “Hello.”

Artoo greeted him again and retracted his claw.

Padmé giggled off to the side, probably thinking Obi-Wan’s look of wonder was cute, which it was.

“If you don’t mind,” Anakin said, “I can tell him to make a digital file of your face. He has facial-recognition software, so if he has the file, he’ll know who are the next time he sees you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Okay, just be still for a second. Artoo, make a face print, designation ‘friend.’”

Artoo gave an affirmative beep and rolled back so he could get a better view of Obi-Wan’s face. After a few seconds passed, he let out a whistle to signal he was done.

“And now you’re officially Artoo’s friend,” Anakin said with a grin.

Getting to his feet, Obi-Wan chuckled. “I’m honored. What designation are you?” he asked Padmé.

“Also a friend.”

“He only has ‘friend’ or ‘enemy,’” Anakin said. “I just thought it’d be better to keep it simple.”

Obi-Wan took a few steps toward him and opened his mouth, but he closed it and gazed at him with such intensity that Anakin almost squirmed in his seat. “You are so talented and creative that I shouldn’t still be surprised by your accomplishments,” he said softly. “It will be a crime if you don’t win that contest.”

Anakin smiled as he looked down at his lap. Being praised by those he cared about meant the world to him. Due to certain childhood experiences, he could always tell when someone was just being polite and when someone was truly impressed, so he knew Obi-Wan was being sincere. He wanted to show Obi-Wan all of his other creations, but he wasn’t sure if that would be considered bragging.

Padmé sat a few feet away from him on the couch. “I agree, especially since the contest is months away.” She smiled at Anakin as she leaned over and brushed the backs of her fingers against his cheek. “I can only imagine what you’ll do in that time.” She wordlessly patted the space between them as she looked back at Obi-Wan. They both hoped the night wouldn’t end with dinner.

“It’s getting late,” Obi-Wan said as he glanced at his watch. “I don’t want to take up any time you normally spend together.”

“It’s not that late,” Padmé said. “If you want to stay a little longer, then stay. We enjoy your company.”

Anakin had a horrifying thought. “We’re not still keeping you up at night, are we?”

“Ani, I don’t think he was referring to _that_.”

Obi-Wan chuckled as he sat down. “Actually, I was, but no, I haven’t heard you since just before we met.”

Anakin leaned against the back of the couch in relief. “Thank god.”

“Were you embarrassed by that?”

“Of course we were! I was more embarrassed by it than Padmé since I’m, well, shy about that kind of thing. You really thought we weren’t?”

“Judging by how you both acted when we first met, it was reasonable to assume you weren’t.” Frowning, Obi-Wan looked upward for a moment. “I suppose I just didn’t know either of you well enough to notice the signs. But considering you want to sleep with me, you aren’t embarrassed now, right?”

Padmé shot forward to look at Anakin with wide eyes. “What did you say to him?”

“Nothing!” he said in a panic, sitting ramrod straight. _Did I accidentally leer at him or something?_

Obi-Wan held up his hands in a calming gesture as he looked at both of them. “Anakin didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to, and neither did you, Padmé. I can tell it’s something you still want. You’re simply respecting my boundaries.”

They went silent at that. Were they really so transparent? They’d talked about what it would be like to have a third person in their bed, but that was before they found out Obi-Wan was asexual. Yes, they still wanted him, but only in whatever capacity he was comfortable with.

Leaning back, Obi-Wan looked down with that strange smile Anakin was beginning to recognize as self-deprecating. “As long as you understand that it might never happen, or it might not happen in the way you expect it to, your desire doesn’t bother me.”

Anakin took a risk and moved close enough to Obi-Wan that their thighs touched. When Obi-Wan didn’t flinch or tense up, Anakin knew the touch was welcome. “We understand.”

“Yes, we’re not waiting for you to jump into our bed,” Padmé said earnestly. “May I ask why it doesn’t bother you?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I know that just as I can’t help _not_ feeling sexual attraction, you can’t help _feeling_ sexual attraction.”

Of course Obi-Wan was so reasonable. Anakin loved him even more for it. “Could we try cuddling sometime, though?”

He patted Anakin’s knee. “Perhaps on our next date. Actually,” he said as he looked between Anakin and Padmé, “how does this work? Should there be an even number of dates with both of you or . . . ”

Padmé also moved closer to Obi-Wan. “It’s not a competition, and we don’t want to wear you out, but if it’s less stressful, we can take turns. Since I went out with you last, it would be Anakin’s turn. And we can have group dates sporadically, or we can try to make it a regular thing.”

Anakin wanted it to be weekly thing, but that would probably be too much. What if they just relaxed together, though? They could watch a movie on Netflix, or Padmé and Obi-Wan could read while Anakin worked on one of his small projects. He wanted them to become so used to being in each other’s space that Obi-Wan dropping in to chat was completely normal, that Anakin or Padmé could sit with him on his couch while they listened to soothing music without needing to say a word. But Anakin was afraid of giving a voice to his desire because what if that scared Obi-Wan? Maybe it would be moving too quickly for him. Obi-Wan hadn’t ever been in an accepting relationship with one person, let alone two, and Anakin didn’t want him to feel smothered.

“Taking turns would be fine with me. As for group dates . . . ” He paused and looked to the floor, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “This date has gone far better than I’d anticipated, so I wouldn’t mind having one on a regular basis.”

Anakin was so happy he could cry, and Padmé grinned while she took Obi-Wan’s hand in her own.

“We could keep it low-key for a while,” she said. “We could have a movie night or play a board game together.”

Obi-Wan held his other hand out to Anakin, which he quickly took. With his eyes closed, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his smile never leaving his face. “That sounds wonderful.”

Just as Anakin was about to kiss Obi-Wan’s cheek, Artoo gave a loud blat, causing all three of them to jump. As Artoo rolled away toward his workshop, Anakin laughed at how his friend had ruined the moment.

“What did that mean?” Padmé asked, her hand to her chest.

“He’s bored, so he’s going to put himself in sleep mode. That happens when no one interacts with him for a while.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Well, I’ll take that as my cue.”

“You don’t have to go.” Anakin had said that a little too quickly, and Padmé looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Oh, she definitely knew.

Letting go of their hands as he got up, Obi-Wan yawned and almost looked startled by it. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought. I should go to bed soon.”

“I probably should too,” Padmé said after yawning herself. “I have a long weekend ahead of me.”

“Yes, Anakin told me about that. Shanah Tovah.”

Anakin loved seeing the way Padmé’s face lit up.

“Thank you!”

They walked him to the door where they each gave him a hug, and Anakin held him a little longer than he normally did. At least Obi-Wan didn’t seem to mind.

“I had a great time, and thank you for dinner.”

Padmé rested her hand on Obi-Wan’s upper arm. “Are you sure you don’t want to take some leftovers with you?”

“I’m sure, but thank you for offering.”

Once they said their goodbyes and the door was shut, Padmé poked Anakin in the chest. “It’s too soon,” she whispered.

“What’s too soon?”

“Falling in love with him.”

He didn’t understand why she was frowning, especially when she knew how easily he had fallen in love with her. That was just who he was.

“You have to take it slow.”

“I am. Do you really think I’m going to tell him?”

Padmé stared at Anakin with slightly narrowed eyes, almost as if she didn’t believe him. Yes, his brain-to-mouth filter wasn’t so great, but he was extremely careful when it came to declarations of love. He hadn’t actually said he loved Padmé for nearly three months after he’d figured out his feelings for her.

Sighing, Padmé gave him a quick kiss and walked toward the hallway. “Just try to tone it down please.”

After Anakin had messed up in regards to her feelings about Obi-Wan, he didn’t have the right to get annoyed with her. He could very well mess up again, and saying he was in love with Obi-Wan was very different from accidentally revealing Padmé wanted to date him. The chance of that ruining everything was very high. Besides, she had a point. Even if Anakin managed to hold his tongue, his actions could give him away, which was how Padmé found out he loved her before he actually said the words. But he was determined to make this work because he knew how rare it was to find someone who wanted to be with both of them.


	13. Chapter 13

“Do you want me to carry you up?” Anakin asked, completely serious.

Padmé chuckled. She must have looked horrible for him to think she couldn’t make the walk from the car to their apartment. She almost took him up on his offer, though, since she’d forgotten how exhausting it was to do the full day of services for Yom Kippur. Leave it to her mother to lay on the guilt when Padmé had casually mentioned she hadn’t done that for the last five years.

“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you, Ani. And thank you for coming.”

She really appreciated Anakin going to the break-fast because it was another example of his dedication to her and her family. To go home from work and then out again was a lot of driving when her aunt and uncle’s house was an hour away. Even though Anakin said his day wasn’t hectic, he still looked pretty beat.

He leaned over the center console and kissed her. “Of course.”

Despite wanting to take a shower, Padmé’s need for sleep won out. She hadn’t bothered with putting on her sleep clothes, choosing instead to settle under the covers in her undergarments. Padmé had fallen asleep so quickly that Anakin hadn’t even climbed into bed yet.

The next day at work was uneventful, which she was grateful for, but she worked through lunch to try to catch up. She always preferred to just eat at her desk rather than stay late.

Padmé smiled as she went through her calendar. She’d managed to get a well-known LGBT rights activist to come to the library and give a talk about her latest book. It was something Padmé had been looking forward to for months, and now it was only two days away. She asked Obi-Wan if he wanted to go with them, but he had to see how much he could get done by Friday night.

She was cautiously hopeful about them becoming a triad. While everything was going well so far, she wouldn’t be surprised if Obi-Wan retreated into himself again. He really needed to see a counselor, but she doubted bringing up the subject of therapy would go over well. She just wished he would talk to them. They didn’t have a poor reaction to finding out about his childhood, so she thought he would open up about other difficult topics. Obi-Wan probably needed a reason to bring them up, though, and she certainly wasn’t going to push him. At least he didn’t feel left out during their group date. Padmé was so excited that he enjoyed it enough to want it to become a regular occurrence.

When her and Anakin made love that night, she couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have Obi-Wan there with them. Her gut told her Obi-Wan would never be comfortable with having sex in any form, but that didn’t bother her. They would find other ways to share themselves with him.

Friday night, after dinner, Padmé texted Obi-Wan to ask if he could make it to the event at the library, and it took him almost an hour to respond.

_< I’m sorry, but I have to decline your offer.>_

She waited to see if he’d say anything else, but that was it. “Ani, do you think this sounds weird?”

After she read the text out loud, he frowned and put his tools down on the coffee table. “He’s not freaking out again, is he?”

“I’m not sure, but something about it doesn’t sit well with me.” She texted him back to try to get another response from him. _< We’ll get together some other time then. Is everything alright? I hope you’re not too bogged down with work.>_

Fifteen minutes passed without a reply, and Anakin was about to walk out the door and go downstairs.

“Anakin, wait. He could just be working, so he’s not looking at his phone.”

He shook his head, his mouth a grim line. “He puts his phone on silent while he’s working, so the fact that he replied before means he’s done for the day. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

Her phone pinged.

_< I am fine.>_

Padmé stared at his text for only a few seconds before looking up at Anakin and pointing at the door. “Let’s go.” She hoped he wouldn’t think they were ganging up on him.

Once Padmé was convinced Anakin would follow her lead, she rang Obi-Wan’s doorbell, but when almost a minute went by without a response, dread began to settle in her stomach. She rang it again.

“Oh, god,” Anakin said as he started pacing behind her, “something’s really wrong.”

“Please calm down.” His anxiety was only making her more nervous.

Finally, Padmé heard the deadbolt slide out of place, and when the door opened, she had to stop herself from reaching out to Obi-Wan. His hair was sticking out in various directions, his bloodshot eyes were half-lidded, and his clothes were rumpled. It almost seemed like they’d woken him from a nap, but she would put her money on him not having slept for over a day.

“May we come in?” she asked quietly.

Obi-Wan stared at them long enough that Padmé nearly started to fidget, but instead of answering her, he walked away.

While shooting a worried glance at Anakin, she pushed the door open wider and walked inside. Thankfully, everything was still in its place. If his apartment had been in disarray, she would have thought something truly terrible had happened. But maybe that was the case, and not enough time had passed for his apartment to become a mess.

When Obi-Wan disappeared into the hallway, Padmé had no idea if they were meant to follow him, but rather than take the chance, she sat on the couch and waited. Anakin remained standing, and the nervous energy he was giving off stopped her from suggesting he sit.

It wasn’t long before Obi-Wan came back out, his phone up to his ear. When he set it down on the coffee table, a woman who shared Obi-Wan’s accent started talking.

_“This is Felna. I got your number from Boma-Son’s phone. He’s . . . he’s gone. I know you don’t get along with Mum and Dad, but you need to come to the funeral. I’ll . . . text you the details later.”_

Obi-Wan picked up the phone and hit the screen a few times before tossing it onto the armchair and sitting on the far end of the couch, his eyes downcast.

That must have been one of his sisters. Anakin had told her Obi-Wan wasn’t close with them, but he’d reconnected with his brother, so of course he would be distraught over learning about his death. But there was another layer to all this. Obi-Wan would have to face his parents if he decided to attend the funeral.

Anakin walked over to the couch and sat down, leaving about a foot of space between himself and Obi-Wan. “I’m so sorry.”

While scooting closer to Anakin, Padmé also gave Obi-Wan her condolences. “You don’t _have_ to go. Funerals are more for the living than the dead.”

Obi-Wan remained silent as he kept his gaze on the floor.

“Or maybe we could go with you?” Anakin suggested.

Padmé wished she had a chance to discuss the situation with Anakin before making that kind of offer. Honestly, she didn’t think it would be a good idea for Obi-Wan to even be in the same room as his parents, but she had to figure out a way to alleviate any guilt Obi-Wan would feel for not attending his brother’s funeral.

Obi-Wan finally looked at them. “You don’t have to do that,” he said softly. “I’ll be fine.”

She had a hard time believing that. “How much of this is due to grief?”

“Padmé, what kind of question is that?” Anakin asked, frowning slightly.

“I’m just wondering how much the thought of seeing his parents is contributing to Obi-Wan’s current state.”

Judging by his wide eyes, that hadn’t crossed Anakin’s mind. Turning back to Obi-Wan, he said, “You really don’t have to go, but if you do, I will gladly go with you and punch your dad in the face.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows twitched upward. “Although I appreciate the sentiment, that wouldn’t actually help.” At least he sounded a little less broken.

“He wasn’t being serious,” Padmé said.

“Yes, I was.”

Padmé thought she saw a smile pull at Obi-Wan lips before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “If I hadn’t started talking to him again, there would be no question, but it feels like an insult not to go.”

“Really, if it’ll be too much for you, _don’t go_ ,” Anakin nearly pleaded.

It was time for a different approach. “What did you brother think of your parents?”

He blinked at her for a moment. “He wasn’t fond of them,” he said slowly. “Being the oldest meant he was treated a bit differently than the rest of us, but it still wasn’t a good situation for him, so he moved out as soon as he was able to. He told me he felt guilty for leaving, and the guilt had eaten away at him to the point that he tried to find me about a year ago.” Obi-Wan leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “We were going to meet up in November since he’d saved enough money for the plane tickets. All this time, it was just texts and phone calls.”

Padmé could tell that was making it even harder for him. “Knowing you’d have to deal with your parents, do you think he’d even want you to go to his funeral?”

He perked up and looked at her with an expression that was a mix between relief and sadness. “Probably not.”

Now she understood. Obi-Wan needed a reason to not go that wasn’t what he perceived to be selfish, and his brother not wanting him to deal with their abusive parents for his sake was exactly the reason Obi-Wan needed.

Anakin rubbed small circles into Obi-Wan’s back. “We should hold our own memorial service for your brother. That way you’re doing something for him without putting yourself at risk.”

Padmé liked that idea, but Obi-Wan didn’t say anything, so maybe he just needed another nudge. “How old was he?”

“Forty-seven. I don’t even know how he died.” His voice cracked slightly on that last word.

Anakin moved his hand from Obi-Wan’s back to his left shoulder and pulled him into a sideways hug. “Do you have any alcohol? I say we get smashed in your brother’s name, and you can tell us some good memories you have of him.”

“Your idea was better without involving alcohol,” Padmé said with a sigh. Alcohol rarely improved a situation, and Anakin got extra affectionate when he was drunk, which Obi-Wan might not appreciate.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. “I dumped my last bottle down the drain anyway.”

“Why?” Anakin asked.

“Because I knew if I started to drink it, I’d drink the entire bottle, and I don’t like getting drunk to block out the pain.”

It was a relief to hear that. Although Padmé never suspected Obi-Wan had unhealthy views on alcohol, she was glad that even when in such a state, he had no desire to get drunk.

“Okay, what about drinking tea in his name?”

That managed to get a chuckle out of Obi-Wan. “He would think we’re taking that particular English stereotype to a new level.”

“Then tea it is!”

Obi-Wan said something, but it was too quiet for Padmé to hear, and it felt like she’d ruin the moment if she asked him to repeat it.

Anakin looked at her and smiled sadly before he got to his feet and held a hand out to Obi-Wan to pull him up from the couch, which wasn’t necessary, but Anakin used touch as a way to offer comfort. Obi-Wan didn’t seem to mind.

The three of them filed into his kitchen where he opened a cabinet and gestured to the contents inside. “Pick whatever you’d like.”

He really did have quite the selection. It was a little overwhelming, especially since she had very little knowledge about tea. “I’m guessing that’s all green tea?” she asked as she pointed to the section which had the names written in green marker.

“Yes, sorry. Neither of you have any idea what you’re looking at.” After briefly scanning the shelves, Obi-Wan took a container down. “This is a good one for someone who isn’t used to drinking green tea. It’s not bitter at all.”

“I’ll try it then,” Padmé said, smiling.

He nodded and turned to Anakin. “Do you want blueberry tea?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

Obi-Wan hummed as he considered his options. “I just won’t steep yours as long,” he said as he grabbed a slightly larger tin. He turned silent as he prepared their tea.

While he was waiting for the water to boil, Padmé stepped closer to him. “Is it alright if I touch you?” Anakin hadn’t asked back when they were on the couch, but he’d spent more time with Obi-Wan than she had, so he probably had a better understanding of what Obi-Wan’s boundaries were.

“Yes,” he said quietly, “but you don’t have to ask. I’ll tell you if I prefer not to be touched.”

She was hoping he’d say that. Padmé rested her hand between his shoulder blades and felt the tension he held there. How long would it be before he relaxed? “I take it you’ve decided not to go?”

“Well, you made a good point.” He kept his eyes on the kettle. “I’m sure Felna will have some choice words for me.”

“If she can’t understand why you’re not going, she’s an asshole,” Anakin said firmly while crossing his arms.

Padmé frowned. “You shouldn’t say that, Anakin. She’s still his family.”

Obi-Wan looked at her. “Well, my parents are technically my family, and I wouldn’t doubt you’ve thought worse about them.”

He was right, and she felt stupid for admonishing Anakin, but the kettle beeped just as she was about to apologize. Unexpectedly self-conscious, she mouthed the words to Anakin instead, and he smiled at her as if to say she was forgiven. To give Obi-Wan some space to move around, Padmé removed her hand and took a step back.

Strangely, Obi-Wan only poured water into Padmé’s mug. After he set the timer, he put more water in the kettle and turned it back on. Glancing at her, Obi-Wan said, “You don’t use boiling water for green tea because it would scald the leaves and ruin the taste. You use boiling water for black tea, though.”

“And here I thought making tea was simple,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan smiled a little. “It’s not complicated.”

“Maybe to you. I’d somehow find a way to scald all the different kinds of leaves.”

Padmé smiled while shaking her head. “Given that you can bake and cook, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to figure out how to make a good cup of tea. Now I, on the other hand, would definitely fail at it. Iced tea looks easy enough, though, since you just throw the pouch in overnight.”

“What if that’s leaving it in for too long?”

Padmé had asked Obi-Wan the same thing. “It’s better to have an iced tea that’s too strong than too weak because you can water down strong tea.”

“Good point.”

Once they were all sitting back on the couch with their mugs, Obi-Wan was noticeably less tense, but he still looked like he could use a few night’s worth of restful sleep. Padmé was glad he was sitting between them now since it was easier for both of them to offer him comfort.

With the tea being too hot to drink, Anakin set his mug down on the coffee table. “So what was Boma-Son like?”

Obi-Wan smiled slightly as he looked at the mug in his hands. “He’s—he _was_ very shy, and he loved animals. Out of the four of us, he was the only one who was allowed to keep a pet. He ended up getting a job at the Marwell Zoo when he was 19, and I wasn’t surprised to learn that he still worked there.”

“Why didn’t he keep in touch after he left?” Padmé asked, hoping that wasn’t a sore topic.

“Boma didn’t leave on good terms, so it wasn’t easy to contact us. He couldn’t call and risk getting our mother or father on the line, and cell phones weren’t common yet, not that I was old enough to have one anyway. I was only 10 when he left.” The ease with which he spoke meant Padmé hadn’t touched a nerve, but he still held too much tension in his frame. “Although I saw it as a betrayal at the time, now I’m glad he left when he did, and I understand why it took him so long to try to find me. He wanted to forget about his childhood, just as I want to forget about mine, but the guilt of leaving us only grew over the years.

“He tried to find me on his own at first. As you already know, I don’t have any social media accounts, so he didn’t have any luck. Boma knew from Sebbi, our other sister, that I’d moved to the States, and hiring a private investigator wasn’t cheap when attempting to track someone down outside of the country. As much as he loved his job at the zoo, it didn’t pay very much. From the time he decided to get in contact with me, to the time he called me, more than a year had passed. I wish I’d reached out as soon as I moved here, especially since it would have been much easier for me to find him. We were both at fault, really, for letting so much time go by. So many years wasted . . . ”

Padmé felt more of the fault lied with Boma-Son since he was the one who left, and he knew what he was leaving Obi-Wan and his sisters with. Even though she wasn’t the type to hold a grudge, she didn’t blame Obi-Wan for not contacting him.

“Boma was always kind to me,” Obi-Wan said after he took a sip of his tea, “but we weren’t exactly close since he mostly kept to himself.”

“Did he end up having any kids?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “He and his wife couldn’t conceive, and their marriage eventually broke down because of that. He said he would have liked to adopt, but she was against it for whatever reason.”

After it became clear that Obi-Wan was lost in thought, Padmé took a sip from her mug while Anakin picked his up and did the same. It wasn’t bitter, just like Obi-Wan said, and after another few sips, she found herself liking it quite a lot. Peering over at Anakin, she had to smile at the look of concentration on his face as he tried to decide if he liked his tea or not. When he took a loud slurp, Obi-Wan snapped out of it, making Padmé wonder if Anakin had done that on purpose.

“Is it too strong?”

“No, it’s an interesting flavor. I never thought I’d drink straight, black tea and actually like it. Are you trying to convert us?” he asked with mock suspicion.

Chuckling, Obi-Wan leaned into the back of the couch. “Perhaps, but _you_ were the one who suggested tea.”

“That’s true. So I was thinking that you should come tomorrow.”

Padmé got whiplash from the sudden change in topic. She was going to bring it up herself at some point because she couldn’t see Obi-Wan sitting at home being good for his mental health right now. She never understood how some people could sit shiva for the entire seven days. She wouldn’t be able to handle it herself, so she was grateful that most of her family believed three days was more reasonable.

“I suppose it would be better to go out and take my mind off of it. I’m not looking forward to calling Felna.”

“You could text her instead,” Padmé suggested.

“Then she’ll call to yell at me.”

“Block her number,” Anakin said simply, and that probably was the best route to take.

Obi-Wan drank from his mug and said nothing.

One thing wasn’t making much sense to Padmé. Why would Obi-Wan’s sisters take it so badly that he didn’t want to go? “What was Boma-Son’s relationship with your sisters?”

“He’d reached out to them sooner because they were easier to find, and with them being able to meet up, I think he’d become much closer with them. I had asked him if they wanted to contact me, and he just changed the subject.” Obi-Wan shrugged and took a sip of his tea. “That didn’t bother me, though. I feel like I would have started to get paranoid about one of them slipping up, and my parents would find out where I am.”

“What do you think they would do if they did find out?” Padmé dreaded the answer, but she was too curious not to ask.

Obi-Wan looked up at the ceiling. “I think they would only fly over if they found out about my relationship with Anakin, so as long as they didn’t feel I’m sullying the Kenobi name, they would probably leave me alone . . . after getting a few verbal jabs in, I’m sure.”

“Well, it’s a good thing they won’t find out since I doubt you told Boma-Son your address, and either your parents or your sisters would have to go through your correspondences with him to get any real clue as to where you live.” Upon seeing Anakin’s glare, Padmé quickly change the subject back to Saturday’s event. She didn’t want him blowing up. “Now, about tomorrow, do you want to meet us there, or would you prefer we all go together?”

He stared at her for a few seconds before replying. He most likely thought she was bringing that back up to get his mind off of his family, which she was, in a way. “I’d prefer to meet you there, if that’s alright.”

“Of course it is,” she said, smiling in relief. At least he wasn’t trying to talk his way out of going. “We’ll meet you by the front desk.”

Anakin perked up, and his anger vanished. “Oh! You’ll get to meet Ahsoka. I’ll tell her to behave around you.”

Obi-Wan smiled a little. “Should I be concerned?”

“No, she likes to tease me, which could lead to her teasing you, but it’s all harmless. When she was going to meet Padmé for the first time, she gave me a pair of sunglasses that had big paper hearts taped to the lenses and said ‘it’s only a _slight_ exaggeration of how you look when you talk about her, but you should wear these in case she hasn’t noticed somehow.’ I thought Padmé was going to pass out from laughing when she saw me.”

Picturing those silly glasses with his resigned expression made Padmé grin. Just as Anakin thought of Ahsoka as a younger sister, Padmé also thought of her as family. “Don’t worry, Obi-Wan. She’ll love you.”

“We’ll have to see about that. She may think I’m a boring old man.” While his tone was a bit self-deprecating, his smile made it clear that he was only joking.

Their “memorial service” had largely gotten off track, but since Obi-Wan looked relaxed and happy, Padmé counted it as a success. After all, the whole point was to cheer him up a little and help get rid of his guilt. She just hoped Felna didn’t make him backslide to where he was before they showed up at his door.

“Are you going to tell your sister?” Anakin asked.

“I probably should,” he said with a sigh. Putting his mug on the table, he went over to the armchair and grabbed his phone. “I have no idea how to put it. ‘Sorry, but I’m not going’?”

Once Obi-Wan sat back down, Padmé rubbed her hand between his shoulder blades in an attempt to keep his stress level from rising again. “You can tell her that dealing with your parents will be too much for you.”

“I think a short reply is best,” Anakin said as he put his mug next to Obi-Wan’s. “I mean, she’s going to be angry with you no matter what you say, right?”

Turning on the screen, Obi-Wan nodded. “I can’t even remember the last time I spoke with Felna.”

“Well, we’re here for you,” Anakin said before he gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

Obi-Wan smiled, finger hovering over the call button. “Thank you.” Taking a deep breath, he hit the button and brought the phone up to his ear, most likely hoping he’d only get her voicemail. “Felna, this is Obi-Wan. . . . Yes, I know, but— . . . I appreciate you telling me. I truly do.” His eyes widened as the color began to drain from his face. “That’s . . . unexpected, but I won’t be attending the funeral.”

Padmé heard a loud burst of unintelligible words that lasted mere seconds. She thought maybe his sister had hung up on him, but Obi-Wan kept the phone to his ear while looking as though he wanted to sink into a hole in the floor. Padmé’s intuition was telling her something had went horribly wrong, so she held her hand out and motioned with her fingers that she wanted his phone. When he only continued to silently listen to whatever nasty things Felna was saying to him, Padmé scooted closer to him and shook her hand. “Please,” she whispered. “You don’t need to hear it.”

After he glanced at her, he finally gave her the phone and scrubbed one hand down his face.

Padmé didn’t bother announcing herself. “Don’t try to bully your own brother into entering a situation you know will be harmful to his well-being.” And with that, she ended the call. Really laying into Felna wasn’t worth Padmé’s energy.

Obi-Wan stared at her with his mouth hanging open slightly. “I thought you were just going to hang up the call,” he eventually said. “That wasn’t Felna you spoke to.”

His phone went off in Padmé’s hand.

“Then who was it?” Anakin asked as he looked at the phone with contempt.

“My father. He took her phone from her.”

Padmé and Anakin looked at each other in horror.

So many thoughts rushed through her mind. She had just hung up on the man who was responsible for most of Obi-Wan’s issues regarding his self-worth. Harsh words had been building within her ever since Obi-Wan opened up about his childhood, but it wasn’t right for her to step into that mess without Obi-Wan’s express permission, so maybe it was better she didn’t know who she was talking to. In the moment, Padmé might not have been able to hold her tongue.

When the phone stopped ringing, she hoped he wasn’t leaving a voicemail. Considering it rang again not even 10 seconds later, he definitely hadn’t.

“Give it to me,” Anakin practically growled.

Knowing Anakin would only scream at the man, Padmé shook her head. “Can I just say one thing to him?” she asked Obi-Wan, who had gone completely pale by that point.

“Yes,” he said softly.

Answering the call, Padmé let her loathing for the man seep into her tone. “Don’t _ever_ try contacting him again, you soulless monster.” Saying any more than that would only make _her_ feel better, not Obi-Wan, so she hung up on him again and put the phone on the table. “Please block that number, and I suggest you let any calls from an unfamiliar number go to voicemail, at least for the next week or two.”

He nodded while staring at his lap, his breathing slightly erratic.

Anakin wrapped his arm around Obi-Wan. Thankfully, he’d managed to calm himself down. Being angry wasn’t going to help Obi-Wan. “Whatever he said was bullshit, and I’m sure Boma-Son would agree.”

Padmé feared their efforts to get Obi-Wan to relax earlier meant nothing, but he closed his eyes and leaned into Anakin. Him accepting affection so easily was a good sign. She took one of his hands between her own to offer her support, and after a minute, he hesitantly covered them with his free hand. Another few minutes went by before he took a deep breath, the tension in his body draining away on the exhale.

She was so glad they were able to convince him not to go. If he was reacting like this to just a phone call, how would he react to seeing his father in person? Granted, his father wouldn’t have had a reason to be angry with him if he’d gone to the funeral, but Padmé was sure he would find something demeaning to say to Obi-Wan.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asked.

He looked at her with a sad smile. “Eventually. Thank you for not ranting at my father. It only would have riled him up further and made the situation worse.”

She hoped Anakin understood that was why she’d refused to give him the phone. “Trust me, I wanted to. Will you be able to get some sleep after all this?” She almost invited him up to stay with them for the night, but she wasn’t going to offer that without asking Anakin first, even though she was positive he’d have no problem with it. She didn’t doubt Obi-Wan would turn her down anyway.

“I’m so exhausted that I don’t believe I’ll have any trouble sleeping.”

She didn’t buy it, and judging by the worried look Anakin was giving her, he didn’t either. As soon as Obi-Wan got up from the couch with a stretch, Anakin made several quick motions as if he was playing a game of charades, and it only took her a few seconds to get what he was trying to convey to her. It turned out he had the same thought of inviting Obi-Wan up to their apartment. Nodding, Padmé stood and gently laid her hand on Obi-Wan’s arm.

“Would you like some company?” Even if he declined, it didn’t hurt to ask.

Obi-Wan frowned a little. “It’s quite late, and I’m sure you’re both tired.”

“That’s not what I meant. Would you like to spend the night with us?” After his eyebrows shot up, she quickly added, “Obviously, just to sleep. Our bed can fit three people, but you would be pretty close to one of us.”

“Or both of us,” Anakin blurted out, a faint blush on his cheeks. “I mean, if you’d like to be in the middle.”

Padmé wasn’t sure that would be a good idea when Anakin had already fallen in love with him. There was a greater risk of Obi-Wan finding that out if Anakin snuggled up to him since he sometimes got very mushy when he was the big spoon. It would be safer if she slept in the middle.

“Then you’d be taking the chance of getting whacked with a flailing arm,” she said as she gave Anakin an amused look. He gave her a slight pout in return. “Ani will start out cuddling you, but he usually lies on his back with his limbs splayed at some point in the night. That’s why we splurged on a king-sized bed.”

Obi-Wan looked between them with an unreadable expression, but at least he hadn’t rejected her offer yet. “I . . . wouldn’t want to impose.”

“How would you be imposing when I was the one who brought it up? We think you could use a little extra support right now, but please know we aren’t trying to pressure you. If sharing a bed with us is too much, that’s perfectly fine.”

His silence dragged on long enough that Padmé was beginning to feel guilty for asking. She certainly hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable. Just as she was about to apologize, Obi-Wan finally gave her an answer.

“Thank you, really, but I’ll be alright,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t the answer she was hoping for, and a part of her thought he sounded reluctant, but she nodded and hugged him tightly. “So tomorrow at 12:30?”

“I’ll be there.”

Anakin walked over and hugged Obi-Wan a little too tightly, if his sudden exhale was anything to go by. “We’re so sorry for your loss.”

Obi-Wan patted him on the back in response.

As worried as they both were for Obi-Wan, leaving his apartment wasn’t easy, but it helped they were only going upstairs. If Obi-Wan changed his mind, or if he just needed someone to talk to, they weren’t far.

“I’ll text him in the morning to see how he’s doing,” Anakin said once they were back in their apartment. He paused as he looked to the floor and bit his bottom lip. “I wasn’t obvious, was I?”

It took Padmé a second to understand he was talking about his feelings for Obi-Wan. “No, but I don’t think he would have noticed even if you were.”

Anakin’s eyes met hers. “I know you think I can’t possibly love him after so little time, but I do.” Resting his hand on his heart, he said softly, “It feels the same as when I first fell for you, and have you ever doubted my love for you?”

She walked up to him and brought his hand to her lips to kiss the back of it. “Of course not.”

“Then please don’t doubt my love for him.”

Sighing, Padmé wrapped her arms around Anakin and pressed her ear to his chest, the steady thumping of his heart a soothing sound. “I won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted Obi-Wan to say "yes" to their offer, but he's not quite there yet.
> 
> And I totally got into tea from writing this story. I now have a temperature control kettle, a portable tea infuser, and a whole ton of loose-leaf tea. I never thought I’d gain a hobby from writing fan fiction.
> 
> The next chapter will be shorter, so it shouldn’t take me a month to update, especially since I have more than half of it written already. It’s a special chapter from Ahsoka’s POV.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually managed to update within two weeks! And this chapter ended up not being as short as I thought it’d be.

Ahsoka was eating one of the best apple cinnamon muffins she’d had in years when she saw him, and while most white men all looked the same to her, this one set off a little ping in her memory. Frowning, she went through her old texts with Anakin to find the one picture he’d sent her of his boyfriend, and just as she’d thought, the man eyeing the pastries was Obi-Wan. It wasn’t surprising to see him at the library café since they were all going to be meeting up soon. Ahsoka had gotten there early to escape roommate drama and have a snack, but what was his reason for being half an hour early? _Wait, I can use this time for a little Q & A . . . and maybe give him a small warning._

After quickly shoving the rest of her muffin in her mouth and helping it down with the last of her iced tea, she casually walked over to Obi-Wan and pointed at one of the trays. “I highly suggest the apple cobbler. Pretty much anything you get here is delicious, but that stuff is pure heaven.”

He huffed out a laugh. “It does look quite appetizing. Thank you for the suggestion.”

Now she knew what Anakin meant about his voice being soothing to listen to. “No problem, Obi-Wan.” Ahsoka enjoyed catching people off-guard, but she hoped that hadn’t come across as creepy.

He froze, his eyes widening slightly. “Have we met?”

“No, but I’ve heard a lot about you from Anakin.”

Obi-Wan immediately relaxed on an exhale. “You must be Ahsoka. I should have known from your hair.”

“My hair?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

“He said it tends to be rather colorful.”

She currently had a yellow and green ombre frohawk that came out better than she expected. It’d been such a long time since she had completely black hair. Smiling, she shrugged and said, “I have a colorful personality. Now go order something. I’d like to have a chat with you.”

“That sounds vaguely ominous,” he said as he went over to the counter.

Ahsoka picked a table that was far enough away from the other customers that they wouldn’t easily be overheard. Despite looking like he could use a few days’ worth of sleep, she could admit he was cute. Anakin had texted her that morning to ask her to go easy on Obi-Wan because he was going through some shit. She had no problem with keeping the teasing to a minimum, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to tell him she’d break his legs if he hurt either Anakin or Padmé. On second thought, Obi-Wan might think she was being literal if she said that since he didn’t actually know her, so she should probably come up with something less extreme.

“Oh, you did get the apple cobbler,” she said after he sat down.

“Please tell me you weren’t joking before and it’s actually slop.”

Ahsoka laughed at the despair on his face. “Don’t worry. I meant what I said. Their food got better after the remodeling was done.”

“I was just thinking this place looks bigger, and I don’t remember it looking quite so charming either.”

“Yup. Padmé said one of their donors gave them money to be used specifically for that purpose. I guess the person really likes cafés.”

He took a few gulps of his water. Water? Really? That was a terrible thing to drink when eating something sweet. Didn’t Anakin say he was really into tea? Maybe he was a tea snob and only drank what he brewed himself, using the finest leaves from China or wherever tea leaves came from.

“She mentioned the library has been getting more donations recently,” he said.

“That’s because she’s awesome at her job. I swear, she would do really well in politics if the corruption and greed she’d be surrounded with didn’t make her want to stab someone.”

Obi-Wan chuckled and took a bite of the cobbler. It wasn’t long before he was closing his eyes in obvious contentment. “You were right,” he said once he swallowed. “Pure heaven.”

“It’s so close to being as good as the stuff Anakin makes. Just like with you, the first treat he made for me was chocolate chip cookies. Store-bought has never been the same since.”

Obi-Wan sat up a little straighter. “He told you about that?”

 _Ooookay, I’m clearly missing something here._ “What’s so weird about chocolate chip cookies?”

“Nothing. The reason he made them wasn’t exactly usual . . . and you have no idea what I’m talking about. Please forget I said anything.”

Ahsoka was very curious by nature, and her curiosity went practically through the roof when Obi-Wan’s cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. “Why did he make you cookies?” She would get back on track as soon as she found out what Anakin hadn’t told her.

“How did he say we met?”

“In the lobby of your apartment building. He thought you were cute and tried flirting with you. But now I’m thinking that wasn’t the whole truth.”

His expression changed ever so slightly. Was he trying to decide if he should lie to her? “Anakin didn’t tell you for a reason.”

Nope. Even if she would regret it, she had to know. “How did you actually meet?”

Obi-Wan took a bite of cobbler instead of answering her and shook his head.

“I am very persistent. If you don’t tell me, I’ll just ask Anakin.”

At that, Obi-Wan cringed and held up his hand as if telling her to wait. He chewed a little faster, all the while looking like he was dreading what he was about to say. “It’s embarrassing for Anakin, not me, so please don’t bring this up to him.” Leaning forward slightly, he whispered, “I slipped them a note under their door asking them to quiet down because I wasn’t getting much sleep. They felt guilty, and Anakin baked the cookies as an apology.”

A laugh escaped her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. _Oh my god. They met because Obi-Wan was tired of hearing Anakin and Padmé have sex. . . . I_ really _didn’t want to know that._

Sitting back in his chair, Obi-Wan sighed. “You should have let it go.”

“Anakin’s like a brother to me, and Padmé is like a sister. I don’t want to think of them doing . . . that.”

“Now you understand my confusion when I thought he’d told you the truth.”

“Oh god . . . I need brain bleach. Okay, okay. Moving on. Have you ever been in a poly relationship before?” Ahsoka would have to be careful not to use Padmé’s name from that point on. Being in Padmé’s library, she didn’t want to risk it.

He looked relieved to be talking about something else. “No. I didn’t know polyamory even existed before she sent me a link that explained what it is.”

“Oh, wow, so this is all totally new to you.” Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “You aren’t playing them, are you? This is for real?”

His eyebrows went up slightly. “I can assure you this is very real.”

Although he sounded sincere, Ahsoka stared at him for a moment longer just to see if he’d break. Instead, he went back to eating his cobbler. It was promising that he wasn’t intimidated by her. To Ahsoka, that meant he had nothing to hide.

She sat back in her chair and let him eat as she thought about what route to take. She’d save the warning for just before they left to meet up with Anakin and Padmé. Maybe she should stick to easy questions for now. “Is it weird to live directly below the people you’re dating?”

“Not particularly. It’s actually worked to my advantage because I get a portion of whatever Anakin bakes, and he bakes a lot for someone who has a full-time job.”

“I think he stress-bakes sometimes.” Anakin said he liked to tinker as a way to calm down, but Padmé told her they usually ended up with a lot of cookies or muffins when he was stressed for a long period of time.  “Have you had his chocolate cupcakes with cheesecake in the middle? He doesn’t put frosting on them, so they’re not overly sweet.”

“No, but that sounds delicious.”

With her elbows on the table, Ahsoka rested her chin in her hands and sighed. “The two of you are so lucky. My girlfriend can’t bake at all. She’s not a bad cook, at least.”

“I do feel very spoiled,” Obi-Wan said, smiling.

Ahsoka always appreciated it when someone didn’t bat an eye at her being a lesbian. Obviously, she wasn’t expecting Obi-Wan to be disgusting by same-sex relationships, but he still could have been surprised she was into women and made a comment about it.

“Will your girlfriend be coming to the talk?”

“Nah,” Ahsoka said as she leaned back in her chair. “She has a family thing today, and she said we haven’t been dating long enough for her to subject me to her massive family who’ll ask a thousand questions.”

Ahsoka had met Steela’s brother, whom she’d gotten along with instantly, but that had been it as far as family was concerned. Ahsoka understood. She didn’t like to introduce a girlfriend to her dads until they’d been dating for at least three months, mostly because her dads were totally embarrassing. They’d bring out the photo albums and tell stories about her in a really exaggerated manner, but the way Papa Plo told them, the stories sounded really believable, which was why Anakin thought they were 100 percent true no matter what Ahsoka said.

While her dads managed to embarrass her even in front of Anakin, at least they stopped thinking he was a child predator. Despite the fact that she was a freshman in college, her dads still saw her as their little girl, and her saying she’d become friends with a 23-year-old man was a huge red flag to them. Granted, she could see why they were worried, but Anakin’s desire to help her in whatever way he could was completely benign.

“Hey, you know this is a big deal for them, right?” Ahsoka asked. “She told me finding a third has been a dream of hers, and Anakin has been in love with the idea ever since she told him about it. I mean, no pressure. I just don’t want you to think they’re only looking for a good time.”

When Obi-Wan smiled this time, Ahsoka could get what Anakin was talking about when he said Obi-Wan could be so damn cute that he wanted to cuddle the hell out of him for hours. If anyone else had said that, she would have thought “cuddle” was a euphemism for “sex,” but Padmé told her one of the things she loved about Anakin was how innocent he could be with his affection. When Anakin said “cuddle,” that was exactly what he meant.

“They’ve made it very clear that’s not what they want, but I wasn’t aware of how important it is to them.”

“Yeah, they’re both pretty excited about the whole thing, but she’s better at toning it down than Anakin is.”

Anakin was a big ball of emotions, and it was really difficult for him to keep it all inside. While that could be endearing at times, it could also be annoying, but at least he didn’t worry about her nearly as much as he used to.

“And you don’t think our situation is bizarre?” Obi-Wan asked as he went back to his cobbler.

“No, I just think it’s too much work. Trying to be with one person is enough for me.”

He paused in bringing his fork to his mouth. Staring at the table, Obi-Wan frowned slightly. “It is more work,” he said slowly, “but it’s worth it. _They_ are worth it.”

And that was what Ahsoka wanted to hear. Obi-Wan didn’t need a warning. Nothing about him so far had made her think he would intentionally hurt Anakin or Padmé, but hearing him say that with such earnestness finally put her mind at ease.

“I know this is about you being protective, but may I ask you a few questions as well? If it does work out with them in the long run, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other more often.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Anakin liked to brag about her, so Obi-Wan had to know the basics already.

“Why do you want to be a primary school teacher?”

She shrugged. “I like kids, and I’m good at teaching.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“Nope. My dads adopted me when I was three, and I was enough of a handful that they decided to stick to one kid. I like being an only child. Do you have siblings?” Even though he was trying to get to know her, she couldn’t help but ask her own questions.

Pain flashed in his eyes so quickly she almost missed it. “I do. We’re not close.”

So siblings were not to be talked about. That was fine. “Is it just you here? I mean, did your whole family move when you were, like, a teenager or did you move on your own?”

“On my own,” he said curtly as his attention returned to his plate.

 _Okay_ , so family in general was a bad topic. “Sorry. Let’s go back to _you_ asking _me_ questions.”

He smiled briefly as if in thanks. “How long have you been playing foot—soccer?”

Now that was a topic Ahsoka could talk about for hours. She hoped he was a soccer fan. “Since I was eight,” she said with a grin. “And did you know that quite a few countries call it ‘soccer’? Until I got to college, I thought it was just us and the Canadians.”

Obi-Wan smiled again as he relaxed in his chair. “I did not.”

“What club do you follow? Whoops, that was me asking you a question.”

“It’s alright. I actually don’t watch soccer unless it’s the World Cup, and even then, I’ll simply root for the underdog, whoever that may be.”

 _And here I thought I’d have someone to talk to who wasn’t on the team._ “You’re a terrible European.”

That got him laughing. “Not everyone in Europe loves the sport. Do you love baseball or American football?”

“Eh, not really. The only other sport I love besides soccer is basketball, specifically women’s basketball. It’s totally underrated.” She had to stop herself before she went on a mini-rant about how women’s sports, in general, weren’t treated with the same level of respect men’s sports were. “So what do you _actually_ like?”

“Well, it’s not a sport, but I was in a swordsmanship club in university, which I really enjoyed. There were about 15 of us, and it was mostly for fun.”

“No way! That’s a thing? Are you a legit swordsman?”

“I’m not bad at it,” he said with an almost shy smile, “but I’m sure I’m a little rusty since it’s been so long.”

Pointing at him, she said, “You definitely have to show me some moves one day. You never told Anakin about this, did you? I feel like he would’ve said something to me. If he wasn’t so crazy about you already, that would do him in. He’s such a nerd.”

“He’s crazy about me?”

“Well, yeah. You come up in nearly every conversation we have. It’s like Padmé all over again, but I know he’ll calm down eventually.” When Obi-Wan only blinked at her, she knew he misunderstood. Ahsoka could tell Anakin had fallen for Obi-Wan, but of course he hadn’t said anything about it to him because most people would be a little put off by that happening so quickly. Ahsoka didn’t want to accidentally scare Obi-Wan away. “What I mean is he really likes you, and when he really likes someone, he doesn’t shut up about them for a while. It can get annoying, but I like seeing him happy.”

Obi-Wan looked like he was trying not to smile. “I apologize for being the source of annoyance.”

“Not your fault.”

Just as Obi-Wan was taking his last bite, Ahsoka’s phone vibrated. It was a text from Anakin saying they just parked. She’d told him before that she was going to hang out in the café for a little while, so it made sense he was letting her know they were early themselves.

“You finished that just in time,” she said as she got up. “Let’s go.”

“I assume that text was from Anakin?”

“Yup.”

They could see the doors from where they stood by the front desk, and Ahsoka was curious about how Anakin would react upon seeing them together. He would probably freak out a little, hoping she hadn’t said anything to upset Obi-Wan. Whatever shit Obi-Wan was going through, he was adept at hiding it, but even if Anakin hadn’t said anything, she wouldn’t have jumped straight to merciless teasing. Ahsoka liked to get a feel for the person first so that she didn’t dish out more than they could handle.

Sure enough, when Anakin walked through the doors and spotted them, his eyes widened. Both her and Obi-Wan gave them a wave, and Padmé waved back as if completely oblivious to Anakin’s distress.

“Obi-Wan, when did you get here?” Padmé asked as she kissed him on his cheek.

Ahsoka was surprised by the display of affection, but it wasn’t like she’d kissed him on the lips, and some people did greet each other that way.

His smile was a little brighter than what Ahsoka had seen in the café. “About an hour ago. I wanted to look around.”

“Find anything interesting?”

“I did. I have two books in my car. Then I decided to have something to eat, and Ahsoka suggested the apple cobbler, which was delicious.

Anakin let out a nervous laugh. “So you didn’t just meet up by the front desk? You were both in the café?”

Judging by the funny look Padmé was giving him, she didn’t think there was anything alarming about that. Turning to Ahsoka, she said, “I’m guessing you recognized him from the picture Ani had sent. Did you have a nice chat?” Oh, Padmé knew Anakin was freaking out. She probably just thought he was overreacting.

Ahsoka grinned. “We did. I like him.”

“I knew you would.” Laying a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder, she pointed in the direction of where the talk was going to be held. “So how are your classes so far?”

Ahsoka had to stifle a laugh at how Padmé was just going to let Anakin come to his own conclusions. Well, he could ask Obi-Wan what happened. “They’re good, but I’m gonna have to do a big group project in one of them. Those are the worst because there’s always one person who refuses to do anything. At least the professor seems cool.”

“Group projects are tricky,” Padmé said, nodding. “Do you think you’ll be able to handle both your workload and soccer?”

“It’s hard to tell just from looking at the syllabus of each class, but I think I’ll be alright. I might not have the time in my last semester since that’s when I have to do my field experience.”

“Just don’t push yourself too hard. Trying to do all that and maintain a relationship with Steela is going to be a lot.”

“Yeah, but at least if I can stay on the team, I’ll get to see her regularly.” Even if Ahsoka didn’t have to quit, Steela might have to since her workload was going to be heavy. They’d figure something out, though, so she wasn’t worried.

“And how is it going with Steela?”

“Great!” she said, beaming. “We’re gonna go hiking next Saturday, as long as the weather holds up. She’s really big into doing stuff outside, like camping, hiking, bike riding.”

Padmé smiled and pointed to a row of chairs. “So she’s on the adventurous side. Have you convinced her to go with you to see _A Haunting in the House of Palpatine_?”

Ahsoka was pretty excited about that movie since it was based on a family from Naboo. She’d even seen the house in person, and it was creepy as hell. “She said she’ll try, but I’m not allowed to laugh at her when she screams.” Ahsoka sat down on the fourth chair in, and Padmé sat next to her. Anakin and Obi-Wan were nowhere to be seen, which she wasn’t sure was a good thing or not. “Don’t worry, though. Unless it’s godawful, I’ll see it with you too. I mean, that’s still our thing, right?”

“Of course it is.”

“Even though you must be super busy now that you have an extra person?” Ahsoka inwardly cringed at how that came out. She wasn’t a little kid who needed constant attention.

The smile Padmé gave her wasn’t full of pity. It looked like the thought of leaving Ahsoka behind hadn’t even occurred to her. “I will always make time for you, Ahsoka. You’re family.”

She smiled back while relaxing as much as she could in the metal folding chair. She should have known she had nothing to worry about. “You’re family to me too.” Leaning toward her, Ahsoka asked quietly, “How serious is it? Do you think this extra person is here to stay?”

“I think so,” she whispered. “I was actually hoping you would meet up with him before we got here so you could develop your own opinion on him without us being around to influence you. No alarm bells?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “I’m not worried. He seems genuinely nice, and from what he told me, he really likes you guys.”

Padmé gently bumped her shoulder against Ahsoka’s. “I’m so glad to hear that. Maybe we’ll both have some luck with love.”

“Maybe,” she said, laughing a little. The thought had occurred to her a few times, what it would be like to spend the rest of her life with Steela, but it was still way too soon to know if that was something she truly wanted.

When Anakin and Obi-Wan finally showed up, Anakin looked completely relaxed, so Obi-Wan must like her too. Anakin would be distraught if they didn’t get along.

Anakin motioned with his hand that Obi-Wan should sit first, which would put him between his lovers, and Ahsoka guessed that wouldn’t look weird. They could all just be really good friends. Besides, unless someone knew both Padmé and Anakin, their seating arrangement would go unnoticed.

“How did you sleep last night?” Padmé asked Obi-Wan.

“Well enough. I switched to chamomile tea after you left since that makes me drowsy.”

“I realized later we didn’t finish our mugs,” Anakin said. “Sorry for wasting your tea.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. You saw how much I have. And even though we’d gotten off track, the gesture was appreciated.”

When Ahsoka leaned forward to ask Obi-Wan just how much tea he had, she saw the smile on Anakin’s face and couldn’t help but roll her eyes. _Wow, you really are terrible at hiding it, Skyguy._ Obi-Wan struck her as the oblivious type, so she doubted he knew Anakin was totally smitten with him. Plus, Ahsoka had gotten used to seeing certain looks from when Anakin talked about Padmé, so she had something to compare his current smile to.

“So just how much of a stereotype are you when it comes to tea?” Ahsoka asked. “Do you drink it every day?”

“I do,” he said with a laugh, “but that’s the only stereotypical thing about me. There have been people who assumed some very strange things due to me being English.”

“Like what?” Padmé asked.

“Oh, one person asked me how much it cost to fix my teeth and another asked if I ever met James Bond. I thought they meant the actor, but I quickly realized they thought the Bond films are based on a real person.”

Anakin burst out laughing while Padmé just sighed.

“You must think Americans are idiots,” Ahsoka said.

“Not at all. I’ve lived here for 12 years, so I’ve met all kinds of Americans, most of whom were not idiots.”

She didn’t think he’d lived in the US for that long. She almost asked him what made him leave the UK, but that might be too personal, same with asking about his citizenship status. She was pretty sure the UK was one of the countries that allowed dual citizenship.

“Oh! I have to say hello to my employee,” Padmé said as she got up and waved to someone. “She’s running the event. I’ll be right back.”

Ahsoka was glad to see Padmé doing so well with her job. All three of them had gone out for ice cream to celebrate her getting the position of library director, and when Anakin got his job at the prosthetics company, they’d gone out for milkshakes. They already told her the celebration for her graduating college was going to be a surprise, but since they knew her so well, she wasn’t afraid of it being anything fancy. If Obi-Wan was still involved with them by that point, Ahsoka expected him to be there too. She really did like Obi-Wan, and she hoped she would get the chance to know him better as time went on.

The talk began roughly 10 minutes later with every chair filled and quite a few people standing. Ahsoka had never heard of the activist, but by the end of the hour, Ahsoka decided to buy her book and stand in line to get it signed. She was lucky enough to get one of the last copies.

While she was waiting, she looked over at Anakin and Padmé and wasn’t surprised by how close they were standing to Obi-Wan, all three of them smiling. Padmé said something to make the other two laugh, and the picture of them together in that moment gave Ahsoka the feeling of rightness, like they _belonged_ with each other.

Whatever happened in the future, Ahsoka was sure everything would work out.


	15. Chapter 15

_“It’s so good to see your face, Obi.”_

“Yours too. You look well.” Obi-Wan liked being able to see Satine when they talked. They tried to Skype each other at least twice a month, but her schedule had been hectic in September and the first half of October, so this was first time they could have a proper chat in quite a while. Texting and short phone calls just weren’t the same.

Satine tilted her head to the side. _“You look . . . happy and well-rested.”_

The way she said that made it sound like it was completely out of the norm for him, which he supposed it was. Obi-Wan didn’t feel any different, but he had been getting better sleep lately. “Well, I do have good news. I had a phone interview with a small LGBT publisher this morning, and I have a video interview set up for Tuesday.”

She gasped as she brought a hand to her chest. _“Obi-Wan, that’s fantastic! I had no idea you were looking to end your freelance work. Can you still work from home?”_

“I can. Considering they’re located in Miami, that was my first question. I would just have to take part in a video conference twice a month. They’ve been around for about five years and want to expand, so they feel having a developmental editor on staff would be beneficial. They’ve actually put out a few ace-centric books, which was what drew me to them. I hadn’t even thought about looking into small publishers until Padmé had suggested it.” Depending on what his salary would be, he might still take some jobs outside of the company. He would make sure that wouldn’t be an issue, but as long as he didn’t take on clients whose books would be targeting the same demographic, he doubted they would mind.

 _“I’m so happy for you, Obi,”_ she said with a grin. If they were in the same room together, she would be giving him a big hug. _“Maybe you can ask for the asexual stories.”_

“I don’t know how often those come up, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. This is all assuming I even get the job, of course.”

_“For you to have a second interview, I’d say your chance of getting the position is high. Thank Padmé for me. How is it going with those two anyway?”_

Smiling, he crossed his arms on the desk in front of his computer and leaned forward slightly. “We’re having a movie night tomorrow at their apartment, and they’re letting me pick what to watch.”

_“Pick something romantic! No boring indie dramas where there’s only six lines of dialogue.”_

“I doubt they own something like that,” he said, laughing, “and you know I don’t like romance.”

She frowned. _“Still? I thought that would change after dating for two months.”_

“It’s actually been almost three months with Anakin, and Padmé and I didn’t officially start dating until a month later.”

Satine put her chin in her hand. _“Are you counting the days, Obi? That’s so sweet.”_

“I am not! I’m not a teenager.”

He could tell she was debating about whether to continue teasing him or not, but thankfully, she let it go. _“So is it dinner and a movie or just a movie?”_

“Just a movie. Anakin wants to introduce me to ‘the wonderful world of cuddling.’” Satine erupted into laughter that went on long enough to prompt Obi-Wan to slowly lower the lid of his laptop. It was the only way she would stop.

 _“Wait, wait! I promise I’ll control myself.”_ Once the lid was upright again, she wiped at her eyes and said, _“I do not picture you being a cuddler.”_

“I’m willing to give it a try.”

_“With both of them or just Anakin?”_

Obi-Wan shrugged, but his face got hot. At least Satine didn’t make a comment about it. Instead, they moved on to talking about her book and how she was already brainstorming the next one. She always knew when not to push him, but at the same time, she knew when he needed a good push. She probably told him to go ahead and meet his upstairs neighbors with the hope that he would make new friends. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure he would have taken Padmé up on her offer if Satine hadn’t told him to go for it.

_“I’ll be coming up in a few weeks.”_

“Oh, how long will you be staying?” He hadn’t seen her in person since the start of the summer. Her living a few hours away in Los Angeles meant they couldn’t meet up on a whim like they used to when she lived in the next town over.

_“Ten days. They want to start discussing promotion for my book, and I’d like to spend some time with you and my other friends in the area.”_

He smiled. As much as they would sometimes break out into fights when they were together for an extended period of time, they were never malicious toward each other. A lot of it stemmed from her concern for him. She would be pleased to see that he’d gained some weight in the last couple of weeks. He wondered how many of those extra pounds were from Anakin’s baked goods.

“It will be nice to meet with you after so long.”

 _“Yes, and I’ll get to meet your partners?”_ Satine asked, one eyebrow raised.

Obi-Wan knew that question was coming. “As long you promise not to threaten them,” he said with a sigh.

She waved her hand at him as if that was an outlandish notion. _“That’s not necessary anymore. They clearly adore you.”_

He immediately thought of what Ahsoka said about Anakin being crazy about him. Was everyone seeing something he wasn’t? “That’s . . . How can you tell when you haven’t even met them yet?

_“I can tell from what you’ve told me. I find it strange that you can’t recognize it yourself while you’re relaying the things they’ve said or done, but then again, you are rather oblivious to that sort of thing.”_

Obi-Wan couldn’t deny that. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get along. Padmé has been looking forward to reading your book.”

_“You never told me she’s a fan.”_

“I’m only telling you so you aren’t taken aback by it, but she isn’t the kind of fan you hate.” Running into obsessive fans was one of her worst fears. They either knew too much about her personal life or wanted to start an aggressive debate about a certain character or plot point.

_“I wouldn’t think she’d be the type anyway. I’ll let you know what days I’ll be free. Oh, and should I see Qui-Gon while I’m there, I’ll be sure to give him a few good slaps. I feel my glares didn’t properly convey the message when I last saw him.”_

Obi-Wan laughed, and it wasn’t until after they’d ended their conversation that he realized the familiar anger and shame hadn’t bubbled to the surface at the mention of Qui-Gon. Maybe he could finally tell Anakin and Padmé what had happened at his old job, but not on their date night. He didn’t want to ruin it.

\------

Standing in their living room, Obi-Wan cocked his head to one side. “This is an interesting set-up you have here.” The coffee table was pushed closer to the couch and was covered in pillows and blankets, presumably to act as a cushion for their legs.

“Our couch doesn’t recline,” Anakin said as he smoothed out the top blanket, “so this is the best I could do to maximize the cuddling.”

Padmé’s smile told Obi-Wan she was used to this sort of behavior from Anakin, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact he wasn’t surprised himself. “You truly are ridiculous.”

Anakin grinned.

“Here’s what we have,” Padmé said as she opened the doors to what turned out to be a large Blu-ray and DVD stand. “If nothing looks good to you, we can try Netflix.”

Padmé really hadn’t been kidding when she said they had a lot to choose from. Nearly half of them sounded like romance movies, which reminded him that she also liked that genre. “I was expecting to see more horror films.”

“It’s difficult to find a good horror movie. A lot of them are full of jump scares, have a very predictable plot, or rely too much on gore. The worst ones are guilty of all three.”

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. “And finding a good romance film is easy?”

She shrugged. “I’m less picky when it comes to romance.”

He huffed out a laugh and went back to perusing. After a few minutes, he settled on what was described as “the best fantasy movie in years.” It sounded vaguely familiar, so it must have been popular. “What about this?” he asked as he held it up.

“That one’s good,” Anakin said.

Padmé nodded and held her hand out. “I’ll take care of it.”

As Obi-Wan walked over to the couch, Anakin had a strange expression on his face. _Ah, he’s nervous. I bet he thinks he’ll scare me off tonight._

“Where do you want to sit?”

Obi-Wan had thought about it earlier, so he already had an answer. “In the middle, if that’s alright.”

“Of course it is!”

Anakin’s smile made Obi-Wan melt a little. Seeing either of them direct such a blindingly joyous smile at him had that effect. He still couldn’t understand why anything he said or did would make them that happy.

“Oh!” Anakin pointed at Obi-Wan’s feet. “You should take your shoes off.”

Right. He wouldn’t want to get their blanket dirty. Sitting on the far end of the couch that wasn’t blocked by the coffee table, Obi-Wan took his shoes off and tried to figure out how to scoot to the middle cushion with some amount of grace. When Anakin waved him over, Obi-Wan ended up practically crawling to his spot, but neither of his partners laughed at him. He wasn’t sure why he was worried in the first place.

Anakin settled on one side of him while Padmé settled on the other, remote in hand. It was odd that Anakin put so much space between them when they were supposed to be cuddling.

“Hey, um . . . ” Anakin looked away as a fidgeted a little. “Would you be weirded out if I took off my arm?”

He felt honored that Anakin was so comfortable with him that he wanted to go without his prosthetic. The fact that Padmé hadn’t started the movie yet made him think this was planned. “Not at all, and I promise I won’t stare.” He wouldn’t really have anything to stare at since Anakin was wearing long sleeves, but he felt he should say it anyway.

Anakin let out a breath as if he’d been holding it and smiled a little. “I don’t mind if you watch, though,” he said while he rolled up his sleeve.

Padmé briefly put her hand on Obi-Wan’s thigh and squeezed, a gestured he assumed was meant to be thanking him.

Once Anakin hit the release valve, his prosthetic came off rather easily, and he placed it on the table next to him before rubbing the end of his arm and rolling his sleeve down over it.

“That was quick.”

“It took me a few months to really get the hang of putting it on and using it, but taking it off was always the easy part.” He paused, his eyes flicking downward. “It really doesn’t bother you?”

“No,” Obi-Wan said as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind Anakin’s ear.

Instead of replying, Anakin closed the space between them so that their thighs were touching and kissed his cheek.

Finally, Padmé started the movie.

About 20 minutes in, Padmé folded her legs up and rested her knees on Obi-Wan’s lap. Most likely knowing just how out of his depth he was, she silently took his arm and brought it up over her head and onto her shoulders. Anakin waited about another 10 minutes before he moved, lacing their fingers together and hooking his ankle around Obi-Wan’s. Eventually, Anakin rested his head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder and let out a contented sigh.

Obi-Wan wasn’t really paying attention to the movie anymore. Being shown so much affection calmed him to the point that he thought he’d fall asleep. It almost felt like he was loved. Being able to recognize romantic love when it was directed at him, or when he felt it himself, had always been a challenge.

Exactly how _did_ he feel about Anakin and Padmé anyway? He greatly enjoyed their company, he was at his happiest when they were happy, their whole-hearted acceptance of him was something he treasured, and he couldn’t imagine his life without them in it.

Was that love?

“Obi-Wan,” Padmé said quietly.

He opened his eyes, not remembering when he’d closed them, and saw the end credits rolling up the screen. He’d fallen asleep with his cheek resting against Anakin’s head, and upon taking a closer look, Anakin had also fallen asleep. Padmé had straightened her legs out, but his arm was still over her shoulders, so that meant he hadn’t moved for nearly two hours. He felt his joints pop when he stretched.

“Tired, huh?” Padmé asked, stretching as well.

“Apparently.”

Having woken up, Anakin bumped his shoulder into Obi-Wan. “So? Have I converted you?”

“That’s an odd way of putting it,” he said, chuckling. “I was so relaxed I couldn’t stay awake, so you can add cuddling to the list.”

Anakin beamed at him as he got off the couch. “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

Once Anakin disappeared down the hallway, Padmé turned to him. “What list?”

“Of non-sexual activities. He asked me about that early on, but besides hugging and holding hands, I really didn’t know what I liked.”

She nodded and got off the couch herself. “Ani did tell me he asked you about that. I guess you’re learning as you go?”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan yawned and raised his eyebrows when he saw what time it was. “I should get going.” By that point, he didn’t care how foolish he looked as he made his made to an end of the couch to put his shoes on. As tired as he was, he didn’t actually want to leave, which wasn’t anything new. Obi-Wan had been reluctant to leave either of them on their last few dates. “Lunch on Tuesday, right?” he asked as he got to his feet.

“Right.” Padmé walked over to him with a small smile, and taking his face in her hands, she brought him down for a kiss.

Obi-Wan used to be ambivalent toward kissing, but he found himself looking forward to their kisses. While he’d gotten much better at initiating contact, he still felt awkward about being the one to kiss them. It could have something to do with knowing he wasn’t very good at it, or at least he didn’t think he was. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what his options were when tongue wasn’t involved. He was just grateful they hadn’t complained.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you,” Obi-Wan said once they parted. “Satine will be coming for a visit in a few weeks, and she wants to meet you both.”

She perked up at that. “From what you’ve said about her, I think we’d get along. I’m not sure how Anakin will handle it, though.”

“How I’ll handle what?” Anakin asked as he came back into the room.

Padmé held her hand out to him, and he walked up to her to take it. “Meeting Satine. You do strange things to impress people sometimes.”

“I promise I’ll be good.” Anakin leaned down and kissed her.

While they didn’t use their tongues, it was still wetter than what Obi-Wan liked, and he couldn’t stop himself from scrunching up his nose at the sight. He made sure to wipe the expression from his face when Anakin looked at him.

“I guess you’re going home now? I know it’s late.”

He nodded. “I’m afraid I wasn’t following the movie very much, but I assume that wasn’t the point of tonight anyway. I can see why you enjoy cuddling as much as you do.”

Anakin pulled him into a hug. “I’m so glad you enjoyed it too. Cuddling in bed is even better.” As if he realized how that sounded, Anakin let go of him and took a step back. “I mean that in a completely non-sexual way.”

“Don’t worry. That’s how I took it.”

Obi-Wan’s mind didn’t immediately jump into the gutter most times, but he always appreciated Anakin’s need to clarify what he meant in regards to intimacy. Neither of them treated his asexuality as something they had to tiptoe around, and when they clarified their intent, he knew they respected his boundaries.

After they wished him a good night, and he went back downstairs, he immediately missed the warmth of their apartment. Obi-Wan hadn’t hated how lifeless his apartment was until now. It never really felt like home, more just like a place he lived in. Even his bedroom lacked any kind of personality. If Anakin or Padmé asked to see it, he’d be embarrassed, but he couldn’t think of why they would want to go in there unless . . . No, whenever he decided to try having sex, he’d rather it be in their apartment, especially if it didn’t go well. He wouldn’t want to remember that every time he went to bed.

Was Obi-Wan ready for that? He knew they wouldn’t pressure him into anything, so he couldn’t see himself shutting down like he had the last time. Obi-Wan had been overwhelmed by his date’s enthusiasm to the point that he just let her do whatever she wanted until she got fed up with his lack of a response. That wouldn’t happen with Anakin or Padmé, but that didn’t mean fear wasn’t still lurking in the background. If he really couldn’t go through with it, how exactly would they react? Maybe he should try it with both of them first so that if he did have to excuse himself, they could at least satisfy each other.

By the time he got into bed, he’d made his decision. He would broach the topic of sex the next time he spoke with one of them and see how they felt about it. _God, how do I actually do that?_

Of course, the next time he spoke with either of them was his lunch date with Padmé, and he simply couldn’t discuss that in public. Anakin called him Thursday night to tell him about an exciting new development with his project at work, but talking about it over the phone felt tacky. It should be in person. Really, Obi-Wan was just making excuses, and the longer he waited, the more nervous he was getting.

On Friday, he thought of the perfect moment to bring it up. He finally received a call from the publisher that morning, and they offered him the position. He called Satine immediately and left her a quick voicemail before texting his partners the great news. They’d already told him that when—not if, but when—he got the job, they were going to celebrate with ice cream sundaes. They would all be in a good mood, and his nerves were less likely to get the better of him, so that was when he’d talk about the possibility of having sex.

Obi-Wan was so excited about the new job that he could barely focus enough to get any work done all day. He would have a steady income again, and he wouldn’t have to worry about asshole coworkers. If they gave him some ace-centric stories, it truly would feel like a dream job. His first day wasn’t for another week, so he had enough time to finish working on his current manuscripts, which were three short stories and one novel that he only needed at most two more days to go over.

After dinner, Obi-Wan went up to their apartment and received hugs from both of them.

“I’m so happy for you,” Padmé said, giving him one last squeeze.

“Well, I have you to thank for this. I never would have found the company if you hadn’t made the suggestion.”

Grinning, Anakin wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan’s waist. “Even better, you can still work from home.”

That reminded Obi-Wan of something else he wanted to tell them, why he quit his job at the publishing house. He had to get over how much he didn’t like talking about it eventually, but seeing how happy his partners were, he would feel guilty about bringing up a topic that would no doubt upset them. _Another time. It’s not important anyway._

They went into the kitchen, where Obi-Wan was surprised to see bowls, various toppings, and an ice cream scoop already laid out on the counter. The jar of maraschino cherries was calling to him.

Padmé took the ice cream out of the freezer. “Sorry, we only have chocolate and vanilla.”

“That’s fine. Simple flavors are best when it comes to sundaes.”

“So what’ll you have?” Anakin asked.

“Vanilla with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and two cherries on top.”

“And sprinkles?” He shook the container for emphasis.

“You can’t have an ice cream sundae without them,” Padmé said as she separated the bowls.

Obi-Wan laughed. “Alright, sprinkles too.”

Once they were settled at the small kitchen table, Anakin frowned for second or two before his expression morphed into what Obi-Wan liked to call fake nonchalance. It always meant there was something on Anakin’s mind, but he wasn’t sure how to put it into words.

“You did have dinner, right?”

Obi-Wan held in a sigh. Maybe they finally needed to talk about that. “Anakin, why are you so concerned with my eating habits?”

His eyes widened as he glanced at Padmé, who didn’t have an outward reaction. “I— It’s not— I was just curious because . . . ”

“We’ve been worried about the fact that you don’t seem to eat very much,” Padmé said bluntly.

So they were going to tackle the subject head-on. That would make it easier. “I’ve gotten better about that. I actually have to go shopping for new trousers soon.”

She put her spoon down and leaned forward slightly. “What changed?”

She didn’t already know? “Well, I saw what I looked like, but I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to do anything about it. Being in relationships with both of you has forced me to really examine how I feel about myself, which is something I haven’t done in a very long time. I’m actually beginning to like myself, and that’s made a big difference.”

Saying that out loud was almost a relief. He still had a long way to go in terms of improving his self-esteem, but he was in a much better place than he was two months ago. If Satine were there, she would have burst into tears of joy, especially when she’d been trying to convince him for years that he wasn’t worthless. Apparently, he just needed a few extra pushes to start believing her. _I have a lot to tell Satine when she visits._

Smiling, Padmé reached out and squeezed his upper arm. “I’m so glad to hear that, Obi-Wan.”

“Me too,” Anakin said. “And I guess I wasn’t being very subtle after all. Sorry.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “It never bothered me, but at this point, I’d rather you be upfront about your worries over me. And for the record, I had spaghetti with ground beef for dinner. Although I am trying to eat better, I’m not very good at cooking, nor am I creative when it comes to food, so I’ve been eating a lot of chicken and pasta.”

Anakin grinned. “I can help you with that. There’s even a website that lets you look up recipes based on the ingredients you already have in your kitchen, which I’ve found to be a big help.”

“Thank you.” Obi-Wan was so tempted to decline his offer, but Anakin genuinely liked to cook, and Obi-Wan didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to spend more time with him.

While they ate, Padmé talked about her writing progress, and Anakin told him about the recent upgrades he gave Artoo. It was a pleasant way to spend the night, but he still had to bring up the subject of sex somehow. I couldn’t find a way to transition into it naturally, so once they’d all finished their sundaes, he resigned himself to just coming right out and saying it.

Padmé stood after she gathered their bowls, but she didn’t walk over to the sink. “Is everything okay?”

And Obi-Wan had been so sure he was doing a good job at hiding his nervousness. “Yes. Go ahead. I’ll wait until you come back.”

She sat back down instead. “What is it?”

 _Alright. I can’t make any excuses now._ Obi-Wan took a deep breath. “I’ve given it some thought, and I want to try having sex with both of you.” Whatever it was they were expecting him to say, it definitely wasn’t that, and he almost laughed at their expressions.

Padmé was the first to recover. “When you say both of us, do you mean at the same time?”

“Yes.”

“That wouldn’t be too much for you?” Anakin asked.

It could very well be, but it was a risk he was willing to take. “I want to share that experience with the two of you together. Plus, I’ll have no idea what I’m doing, and having two people to guide me will be better than one.”

Under the table, Padmé rested her hand on Obi-Wan’s knee. “Please know that you’re free to change your mind at any time, and we won’t be upset with you if you do.”

He’d already figured that, but hearing her say it made him relax a little.

Obi-Wan was determined to try having sex without pushing himself too hard, and he was going to use the opportunity to learn just how flexible or rigid his sexuality was. Although he’d told Anakin that him being asexual would never change, he knew many people changed their label when they found one that fit them better. But he hadn’t wanted Anakin to think if he waited long enough, he would magically become sexually attracted to him.

Even if Obi-Wan truly was asexual, maybe he would like having sex. He’d read about aces still having an enjoyable sex life with their partners. While he wouldn’t mind doing something sexual with Anakin and Padmé for their benefit or simply to feel close to them, he doubted that would be a frequent desire. But he was getting ahead of himself.

Anakin wet his lips as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “When do you want to . . . ” His cheeks turned pink. “Or that would be weird, right? Like we’re scheduling it?” Anakin’s confidence was an attractive quality, but he was so damn cute when he turned shy.

“I have no idea what’s considered normal in this type of situation, but I would like to try for this weekend.”

“Tomorrow night is good,” Padmé blurted out, a slight blush claiming her own complexion.

Anakin nodded vigorously in agreement.

If he didn’t already feel so comfortable with them, their excitement would make him wary. Padmé had said that sex for both of them wasn’t just about pleasure. It was also about emotional intimacy. Obi-Wan had seen aspec people talk about that, but he never quite understood how someone could gain emotional intimacy through sex. He wanted to understand it, even if he could only witness it rather than experience it himself.

“Alright,” Obi-Wan said as he got to his feet. “How does 8:00 sound?”

“You can come over for dinner, if you want,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan would be so nervous that he probably wouldn’t be able to stomach anything. At least if he ate dinner in his own apartment, he could distract himself with one of his shows. “Thank you, but I’d rather not.” He didn’t feel up to explaining himself, so he hoped Anakin would leave it at that.

Luckily, Anakin only blinked at him for a few seconds before his expression brightened. “Okay. We’ll see you at 8:00. Right?” he asked, turning to Padmé.

She grinned. “That’s fine with me.”

They both hugged him on his way out, congratulating him again on the new job.

“I know what a huge step it is for you to even bring it up, and if you decide now isn’t the best time after all, I promise we won’t hold it against you,” Padmé whispered as she held him.

Obi-Wan hugged her tighter in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The website Anakin mentioned is real (Supercook.com), and it’s awesome.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I’ve been changing the POV for every chapter, but considering the content of this one, I wanted to write it from Obi-Wan’s perspective. And in case anyone is worried, I promise Anakin and Padmé are completely supportive throughout the chapter.

After looking through his small duffle to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Obi-Wan left his apartment with both excitement and curiosity propelling him forward. Of course, he was still nervous, but he refused to let that control him. Even if he couldn’t go through with it, at least he could sleep with his partners. Finding out how much he liked cuddling made him want to know what it felt like to fall asleep in their arms even more. He didn’t count falling asleep on the couch, especially since that was by accident.

Just as he was about hit the buzzer, some of his self-doubt broke through. Would they _truly_ understand if he changed his mind? Or what if he did have sex with them and ended up hating it? Would that be the moment reality set in for Anakin and Padmé, and they decided they couldn’t deal with him anymore?

_Stop it. They haven’t done or said anything to make you believe that could happen._

Obi-Wan hit the buzzer and waited no more than five seconds before he was greeted with Anakin’s bright smile. He raised an eyebrow. “Did you sprint to the door?”

Anakin stepped aside to let him in. “I wouldn’t say I sprinted.” Perhaps Anakin had been afraid that if he took too long, Obi-Wan would change his mind and leave.

Padmé gave him a light hug and a kiss. “Do you want some wine?”

“Trying to get me drunk?” Obi-Wan asked with a slight smile.

“No, but a glass might help settle your nerves.”

“I’m alright.” That didn’t sound casual at all. Actually being in their apartment had caused his nervousness to become more prominent. He wasn’t moving too quickly, was he?

Padmé took his hand and held it between her own as she held his gaze, probably trying to discern if they should call the night off.

“Do you want to jump right into it or do something else first?” Anakin asked as he wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan’s waist from behind.

If Obi-Wan came to the realization that he _was_ moving too quickly, he’d tell them to stop, and they certainly wouldn’t pressure him to continue. He wanted to at least try. “I fear that if I wait any longer, my anxiety might take over.”

“Got it.” Anakin pulled away from him after he pressed a kiss to his temple. “I was the same way my first time.”

Whatever Padmé saw must have satisfied her because she gave his hand a squeeze while taking a step closer to him. “Your first time can’t be any worse than Ani’s. The zipper of my dress got stuck, he tripped on his way to the bed, and his attempt at dirty talk was so awful that I accidentally laughed in his face.”

Smiling, Anakin shrugged. “My hands were shaking, I was so nervous.”

“And yet, it still ended up being a good experience for both of us.” Walking backwards, Padmé tugged Obi-Wan toward the hallway. “Not all sex has to be earth-shattering, and no one should expect their first time to be without a few hiccups, so try not to worry too much.”

He nodded. Knowing Anakin had a rough start did make him feel a little better.

Once they reached the bedroom, Anakin took his duffle from him and put it . . . somewhere. Obi-Wan wasn’t paying attention since he was too busy staring at their very large bed, their very large bed where he would have sex. He swallowed hard.

“Hey,” Padmé said softly, “we’ll take it slow, alright? What do you want to happen first?”

Obi-Wan took a deep, calming breath and looked down at her. _I can do this._ “I suppose we should take off our clothing.”

“If you want, we can kiss for a little while before that,” Anakin suggested. “I mean, there isn’t a set order, so don’t go with what you think _should_ happen. Hell, you can have sex with most of your clothes on.” He walked up to Obi-Wan and put his hand on his shoulder. “If you aren’t ready for us to be naked, let’s start with something else.”

Anakin saying all that helped to release some of the tension in his body. Even after reading numerous articles on all different kinds of sites, he had no clue what he was doing. While most said to start with foreplay, he wasn’t really interested in that. Technically, he wasn’t really interested in any of it on its own, but doing certain activities with his partners did have some appeal.

“I’m fine,” Obi-Wan said as he started to take his sweater vest off. _Why did I come up here wearing layers? And why am I wearing a button-up shirt? I am an idiot._ Once he got it over his head, he saw Anakin and Padmé looking at each other out of the corner of his eye, and after Padmé shrugged, Anakin took his shirt off to reveal a well-defined chest. “When do you have time to go to the gym?”

Anakin smiled and stood up a little straighter as if he was showing off. “I sometimes go early in the morning on Sundays, and I work out at home a little. Why? Like what you see?” He waggled his eyebrows to indicate he was only joking around.

“No, you’re hideous,” he said flatly, which earned him a laugh from Padmé and Anakin’s shirt flung at his face.

By the time Obi-Wan was down to his boxers, and feeling incredibly self-conscious, both of his partners were completely nude. He could only glance at them, mostly because he’d never seen someone naked in person. Obi-Wan hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers, but the thought of them seeing all of him was too much.

When Padmé touched his arm, he finally looked at her, but he maintained eye contact.

“You’re gorgeous,” Anakin said reverently from behind her.

“I’m really not.” How could anyone who looked like Anakin think _he_ was gorgeous? Obi-Wan was nothing to look at, especially since he was still underweight.

“You really _are_ ,” Padmé said, rubbing her thumb back and forth on his arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you only looking at our faces?”

So he was that obvious.

Anakin casually sat on the bed. “We can stop if you’re uncomfortable.”

“And the two of you aren’t? I’ve never seen you without your clothes on, and you’re acting like that isn’t a big deal at all.”

“Wait, are you averting your gaze out of _politeness_?” Anakin asked, smiling.

Padmé let out a small giggle before she covered her mouth and regained her composure. “People usually see each other naked when they have sex.”

“I know that,” Obi-Wan snapped. Sighing, he walked over to the bed and sat next to Anakin. “I’m sorry. I’m still nervous.”

Anakin rubbed Obi-Wan’s back, his warm hand traveling up and down the length of his spine in a soothing manner. “We’ll go as slow as you need us to. And just because we’re making it look easy doesn’t mean it is. We’re vulnerable here too.” As if to prove his point, Anakin took off his prosthetic and gave it to Padmé, who placed it on the nightstand before sitting on the other side of Obi-Wan. “You can look all you want.”

Obi-Wan knew Anakin was referring to both his arm and their bodies, but it still didn’t feel right to stare at his arm. At the same time, he didn’t want Anakin to think that he found his residual limb to be disgusting, so he looked at it. Anakin’s skin was a bit red, but that must have been from the suction of the prosthetic. No wonder he didn’t like to wear it if he didn’t have to. Obi-Wan’s gaze slid down to Anakin’s dick. It was nice, he supposed, but he didn’t feel anything stir within him. Looking at Padmé’s breasts didn’t do anything for him either.

“Still pretty damn ace, huh?” Anakin asked.

He huffed out a laugh. “Yes.” That didn’t mean he couldn’t feel anything later on, but it seemed like “asexual” was still the best fit for him.

Bringing her right leg up onto the bed, Padmé angled her body so that she was facing him. “What do you want to do?”

“Maybe just . . . touching for now.” Obi-Wan was so out of his depth.

“Touching is a little vague, so do you want us to touch you or vice versa?”

As much as he appreciated them letting him set the pace, it was a lot of pressure. “How about the two of you take the lead, and I’ll speak up if I don’t like where you’re going with it?”

“Works for me,” Anakin said as he twisted around and walked on his knees to the middle of the bed. Sitting on his ankles, he patted the spot in front of him, and after Obi-Wan made his way over, Anakin tilted his head up and kissed him.

As they kissed, the remaining tension slowly bled from Obi-Wan’s body. Kissing was familiar, and to him, that was the kind of foreplay he needed. But when Anakin tried to slip his tongue into his mouth, Obi-Wan immediately backed away.

“Oh, shit! I’m sorry!” Anakin’s eyes were wide with panic. “I wasn’t thinking! I’m so sorry!”

Obi-Wan held his hands up in a placating manner. “Anakin, it’s alright. Just be more mindful of what you’re doing.”

Sagging in relief, Anakin nodded and looked at Padmé, who was crawling over to them.

“Move back a little please,” she said to Obi-Wan while she pointed at the head of the bed, and he did as she requested. Once she was directly in front of him, she gave him a soft kiss while she lightly trailed her fingers down his chest. When she brought her hands back up, she gently pushed him so that he was lying down with his head resting on one of their pillows.

He almost asked her what she had planned, but he trusted her, and she was good at reading his body language, so even if he clammed up, she would probably know when to stop.

Padmé climbed over him, laying a kiss on his lips before moving down to his neck. “Tell us what you already know you won’t do.”

Obi-Wan tensed up slightly at her being above him, but when he noticed her body wasn’t touching him where he was still clothed, he relaxed into the mattress. “Being on the receiving end of penetrative sex is out of the question.” Really, that was the only kind of activity he wasn’t willing to try. Being on the giving end would probably never happen, but he wasn’t going to rule it out entirely just yet. He did know it would take a lot to work up to that, so he definitely wasn’t going to try it that night. “Sorry, Anakin.”

Anakin sat next to him. “For what?”

“If you were looking forward to fucking me, you must be disappointed.”

Padmé didn’t even glance at Anakin, which was slightly reassuring. If she wasn’t concerned about Anakin’s reaction, Obi-Wan doubted he had a reason to be.

“I’m not. I don’t assume any guy, regardless of their sexuality, is into that.”

Of course he’d been worried for nothing. He hoped they would be that easy-going the whole night.

As Padmé kissed her way down his stomach, he tensed in anticipation. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about blowjobs, whether giving or receiving. He’d hated being touched before, but maybe it would be different with them.

She stopped just below his navel and sat up. “You’d rather keep your boxers on, wouldn’t you?”

Obi-Wan held in his sigh of relief. “For now, yes.”

Anakin brushed the hair away from Obi-Wan’s forehead. “Can we touch you?”

“You _are_ touching me.”

Giving him a lopsided smile, Anakin rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant.”

He reminded himself they would stop without question if he asked them to. “You can,” he said quietly.

Since Padmé was already sitting between his legs, she reached for him first while Anakin traced invisible patterns on his chest. Obi-Wan jolted slightly when he felt her hand, and he was suddenly grateful to still be wearing his boxers because direct skin-to-skin contact would be overwhelming. As she slowly moved her hand over him, he stared up at the ceiling and tried to sort out his jumbled thoughts. Did he like what she was doing? He knew a person’s body could react to stimuli regardless of how they felt emotionally, but it was still extremely confusing in the moment.

Padmé added a little more pressure and rubbed his thigh with her other hand. “If it doesn’t feel good, please say so.”

“Physically, it does, but . . . ” It was no use. The nausea was building, just as it had the last time. When Padmé removed her hands, he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to will the nausea away, and although she didn’t look disappointed, he still felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry. Apparently, it doesn’t matter who I’m with. I’m simply not comfortable with being touched in that way.”

Anakin buried his hand in Obi-Wan’s hair and lightly massaged his scalp. “Don’t worry about it. We can do other things.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes at the sensation, his body slowly relaxing again.

“Or we can stop for the night,” Padmé said.

Looking at her, he shook his head. “I’d like to try something.” Obi-Wan sat up, and Padmé moved back so that she wasn’t sitting between his legs anymore, which he appreciated. “May I touch either of you?” He was relatively sure he wouldn’t have an issue with that.

“Of course,” she said, smiling.

He looked between them, not knowing who to start with. He didn’t want them to think he favored one over the other.

Perhaps sensing his dilemma, Padmé pointed at Anakin. “You’re more familiar with his anatomy, right? Why don’t you touch him, and I’ll touch you in a non-sexual way?”

Obi-Wan nodded, thankful for the direction. He turned so that he was facing Anakin, but he didn’t know if just grabbing his dick would be considered rude. Would Anakin even be satisfied with a handjob alone? Obi-Wan really didn’t want to use his mouth on him, or on Padmé, for that matter. _I’m going to have to scratch oral sex from my “maybe” list after all._

“I feel like you’re thinking too much, and that’s usually my problem.” Anakin gently took Obi-Wan’s hand and placed it on his own hip. “I’ll tell you if I don’t like what you’re doing.”

Obi-Wan felt Padmé settle behind him, and she placed a tube of lubricant next to his knee before she smoothed her hands up and down his back. It was a calming gesture, one that gave him the courage to close what little distance there was between himself and Anakin. Anakin made a pleased sound, maybe because it was so rare that Obi-Wan was the one to initiate a kiss. While they kissed, Obi-Wan gradually moved his hand inward from Anakin’s hip, and the anticipation was clearly getting to Anakin because he wasn’t as soft as Obi-Wan was expecting him to be. After fumbling with the lube—how embarrassing—he grasped Anakin properly, but the angle was throwing him off. Anakin didn’t mind, though, if his light moans were anything to go by.

Padmé rested her chin on his shoulder as she covered his hand with her own, guiding him to the point where he understood what Anakin liked best.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes while Padmé laid feather light kisses on the back of his neck, her fingertips trailing down his arms. The attention she was giving him was distracting, and when his hand slowed down too much, Anakin made a noise of protest. Obi-Wan chuckled. “Sorry, sorry.”

Anakin claimed Obi-Wan’s mouth with his own, and miraculously, he still had the presence of mind to keep his tongue where it belonged. It was a little awkward when Anakin leaned forward over Obi-Wan’s shoulder to kiss Padmé. Maybe he didn’t want her to feel left out or maybe he just wanted to be close to both of them. Obi-Wan would have thought being sandwiched between his partners would cause him to go into panic mode, but he was completely calm.

“Are you almost there?” Obi-Wan asked, careful not to sound like he was complaining. He thought men Anakin’s age didn’t take so long, and he was starting to get a cramp.

Padmé laughed and reached out to put her hand in Anakin’s hair. When she yanked his head back slightly, he let out what sounded like a mix between a whimper and a moan. “He is,” she whispered into Obi-Wan’s ear.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long after that, and Anakin flopped onto his back once he gave Obi-Wan a quick kiss. Looking at his hand, Obi-Wan wished they had more than just tissues.

Padmé crawled over to one of the nightstands and came back with a dispenser of wet wipes, which she popped open and held out to him.

“Thank you.” While he cleaned up, Padmé took a wipe to Anakin. “Is he asleep?”

“Give me a minute, and I’ll bounce back,” Anakin said, his eyes still closed.

Padmé tossed the dispenser onto the nightstand and turned to Obi-Wan. “Do you get like that too?”

“If you mean do I get lethargic after an orgasm, then yes.”

“Huh.” She tilted her head to one side. “So you do masturbate.”

“I occasionally use masturbation as a sleep aid.”

“What about for stress relief?”

“That too.” Still, he only touched himself maybe once every few months. It really did help when he was particularly stressed out, but it was always difficult for him to get in the right headspace for it if he wasn’t in the mood, so he preferred to use other methods first. “I’m assuming neither of you do that since you have either other.”

“We still do. Sometimes we prefer to take care of relieving stress on our own, or one of us wants sex and the other doesn’t.” She shrugged. “I see masturbation as a form of self-love, so getting involved with someone was never going to stop me.”

Anakin laughed. “This is a very sexy conservation.”

Padmé and Obi-Wan smiled at each other.

It was astonishing that he was this relaxed while he was sitting in his boxers with two completely naked people. And they weren’t throwing their hands up in frustration and kicking him out because they couldn’t touch him. Knowing they truly wanted him to be happy gave him the push he needed to continue.

“I’m rather embarrassed to admit that I don’t fully understand what to do with your anatomy,” Obi-Wan said while he gestured to the area between Padmé’s thighs. “I tried doing some research, but everything I found was either very scientific or very pornographic, neither of which were helpful.”

“I have an idea,” Anakin said as he sat up. “How do you feel about using toys?”

That came out of nowhere. “Toys?”

Padmé moved to the edge of the bed and hopped off to go looking in the bottom portion of the nightstand for something.

“Yeah. It’s not difficult to please a woman, but the first time can be tricky. Are you okay with using toys?”

He’d never considered that as an option, but he wasn’t against it. “I’m fine with that as long as they’re not complicated.”

Padmé let out the cutest giggle as she came back onto the bed with an orange box. “All we have are vibrators and dildos. Very simple. Well, the harness was a little complicated at first.”

His eyebrows shot up. “I’m sorry, harness?”

Anakin coughed lightly while turning bright red. “For the strap-on.”

Laughing, Padmé gently shoved Anakin before she set the box down and opened it. “Ani, why are you embarrassed _now_?” She pulled out something wrapped in a cloth that turned out to be a large dildo and held it up with a smirk. “He makes the best noises when I use this on him.”

“Padmé!” Anakin whined while he covered his face with his hand.

“What? Obi-Wan heard you already anyway.” Turning to Obi-Wan, she mock whispered, “I used it the night before you gave us your note.”

“Ah, so that’s why his moaning was so much louder that time,” Obi-Wan said, amused by Anakin’s sudden shyness.

Anakin groaned and tipped over onto his side. “You guys are the worst!”

“I’m sorry, Ani. We’ll stop.” Smiling, she patted his leg and put the dildo back before pulling out an egg-shaped device and a remote. “You hold the love egg up to me and control the strength of the vibration with the remote. Does that sound alright to you?”

Obi-Wan could handle that, and there would be less fumbling around on his part if he used the toy instead of his fingers. Obi-Wan took the vibrator and the remote and tested it out while Padmé got comfortable. The highest setting made his palm itch.

As he settled between her spread legs, Anakin rolled over to watch them, his face almost back to its normal color. “You should start out with the lowest setting and slowly work up to the highest.”

Obi-Wan nodded and placed the vibrator against her, but Padmé moved it down about an inch. Well, he was close at least. She sighed when he turned it on, and doing as Anakin had suggested, he slowly increased the strength of the vibration. When Padmé reached out to him, he changed his grip and moved close enough so she could kiss him. After they parted, it seemed like she was about to say something, but she bit her bottom lip instead, her eyes widening for a few seconds. For whatever reason, Obi-Wan didn’t think that had anything to do with the vibrator, but if it was important, she would have told him, so he let it go.

Much like Padmé had helped him, Anakin guided Obi-Wan’s hand so that he was moving the toy in small circles, which caused Padmé to arch her back slightly. Getting her off with the aid of a toy required a lot less effort on his part than it did with Anakin, and it almost felt a little impersonal to be using a toy instead of touching her directly, but she clearly didn’t mind.

They were both much quieter with him than they were with each other, but maybe being with a person who knew their body so intimately allowed for more pleasure. Considering it _was_ his first time doing any of this, he wasn’t offended by their subdued responses.

Once Obi-Wan put the toy on the highest setting, it didn’t take long for her to find release. Padmé gave him another kiss and thanked him in a whisper, which made him raise his eyebrows. Did people normally thank their partner for giving them an orgasm? Anakin hadn’t said anything.

“Mind if I interrupt?” Anakin asked, his voice pitched a little lower.

Obi-Wan shut the toy off and moved to the other side of the bed to give them enough room for whatever Anakin wanted to do. Anakin climbed on top of Padmé and kissed her passionately while doing something with his hand that had her gasping, and after that went on for a minute or two, Obi-Wan turned his head and yawned. The sound of Padmé’s laughter made him look back at them, and to his horror, she had seen him behave so rudely.

“Sex is pretty boring to you, isn’t it?” She was smiling, so he hadn’t insulted her, but it also didn’t feel like she was making fun of him either.

“You’re just kissing and groping each other right now, and . . . well, I find that boring to watch. I’m sorry.”

Sitting up, Anakin laughed and pulled the box of sex toys toward him. “Don’t apologize. We understand that all of this is very different for you than it is for us.” He took a condom wrapped in green foil out of the box and held it up. “How do you feel about watching us?”

Obi-Wan still wanted to see what emotional intimacy looked like during sex, and he didn’t want to deny them the opportunity to be close with each other. At least if he did get bored, they wouldn’t mind if he lied down and closed his eyes. “That’s fine. Go ahead.”

Anakin grinned and waved him over. “You don’t have to sit so far away.”

“We want you to be a part of this in whatever way you feel comfortable with,” Padmé said while Anakin ripped the condom wrapper open with his teeth.

He was pretty sure he _wouldn’t_ be comfortable with sitting right next to them while they had sex. “I’d rather stay here.”

“Okay,” Anakin said. “We won’t be offended if you fall asleep or something.”

He almost rolled his eyes. “I doubt I’d actually fall asleep.”

Watching them was . . . interesting. Obi-Wan couldn’t describe what they were doing as fucking—it certainly didn’t resemble anything he saw on the Internet—so perhaps that was what making love looked like. Although Obi-Wan could understand its appeal, he didn’t know if he wanted it for himself. Of course, he wouldn’t figure out what every single one of his boundaries were the first time.

Once they finished, Anakin rested his forehead against Padmé’s and murmured something that made her smile, and that moment alone made Obi-Wan wish he was like most people when it came to sex. But there had to be other ways to achieve that level of intimacy. He wanted to experience the kind of vulnerability that didn’t make him feel nervous or insecure. He wanted to be so familiar with another person that all he felt was loved.

While the night had gone quite well, Obi-Wan was a little glad the sex was done. Now they could focus on other things, like cuddling and sleeping. Those were two activities Obi-Wan already knew he enjoyed, and maybe his partners could put some clothes on.

After Anakin threw the condom into the bedside garbage bin, he looked at Obi-Wan with a slight frown. “You alright?”

“I am.”

“So . . . what are your thoughts?”

He couldn’t help himself. “Well, based on what very little information I have, I’d say your form was good, and it seemed like you both came, so I’d give it a seven.” It was very difficult not to laugh at the bewildered expression on Anakin’s face.

“What? Only a seven?” Padmé asked, trying not to smile and failing miserably.

“Neither of you lasted very long, and I _know_ how long you can last. The highest I’ll give you is a 7.5.”

Anakin laughed, finally understanding that Obi-Wan was joking around. “Okay, seriously, though. How do you feel about tonight?”

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. He really didn’t want to discuss it before he had the chance to properly examine his reactions to everything. “Can we talk about it in the morning? I’m a bit tired.”

“Of course,” Anakin said before he yawned, which caused a domino effect. They could all use some sleep. “Do you mind if I stay shirtless? I’ll put some pants on.”

“I don’t mind. Where did you put my duffle?”

Anakin pointed at the floor near the nightstand.

“And I won’t be sleeping in the nude either,” Padmé said as she stretched.

Obi-Wan found his duffle and decided to just bring the whole thing into the bathroom with him. “That’s much appreciated. May I go in first?”

“Sure,” Anakin said.

Shutting the door behind him, Obi-Wan stared at himself in the mirror. There was a mark near his collarbone left by Padmé, and his hair was a disaster, but he otherwise looked the way he always did before getting ready for bed.

How _did_ he feel about the night’s events? He didn’t regret any of it, and he really didn’t mind touching them, but he didn’t get anything out of it himself. Maybe he would have if he’d been in the mood. After all, he’d been able to get off from imagining other people in the act, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the night’s events popped up in his mind the next time he touched himself. Obi-Wan might even be able to handle making love to them since that was more about having an emotional connection, but he couldn’t imagine himself being comfortable with trying that for at least another six months. That would probably be the only scenario in which they’d see him fully nude, especially since there wouldn’t be any other reason for him to remove his boxers.

By the time he was done getting ready for bed, Anakin was wearing sleep pants and Padmé was wearing a short, silk dress. _She’s fashionable even when it comes to sleepwear. Of course._ She kissed his cheek as she walked passed him into the bathroom.

Anakin cracked open one of the windows, presumably to let in some fresh air, before he pulled the comforter and top sheet back and began fluffing up the pillows. “Where do you want to sleep? Padmé wasn’t kidding when she said I’m all flying limbs in the middle of the night.”

“I think I’ll take my chances with being between the two of you.”

Grinning, Anakin pulled him into a tight hug. “If you never want to do anything sexual again, I’d be okay with that,” he whispered. “I’m just happy you’re staying. We both are.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. It was eternally funny to him that he went from wanting to scream at the couple who was having loud sex to ending up in said couple’s bedroom and feeling like he belonged there.

When they pulled apart, Anakin held his face in his hands, his smile a little dimmer but no less full of . . . love? “Go get settled.” Anakin kissed his nose, which startled a laugh out of Obi-Wan. “We’ll be right there.”

Obi-Wan was rooted to the floor as Anakin went into the bathroom. Did Anakin love him? That wasn’t the sort of question he could ask because it would put Anakin in an awkward position. If he did love Obi-Wan, there must be a reason he wasn’t telling him, and if he didn’t love him, he would feel awful for saying so. But Anakin’s emotions ran deep, and he was the type of person who easily became attached to those who showed him kindness, so Obi-Wan could see Anakin falling in love rather quickly. Strangely, it wouldn’t bother him if Anakin confessed, but he would have no idea what to say in return, especially if he hadn’t yet sorted out his own emotions by that point.

Pushing all of that out of his mind, he climbed into bed and got comfortable, which wasn’t difficult to do. For obvious reasons, he hadn’t noticed before that the firmness of the mattress was very similar to his own. Between that and being with his partners, he wouldn’t have a problem falling asleep, and when Anakin and Padmé joined him, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Padmé shut off the lamp near her side of the bed while Anakin did the same on his side, and Obi-Wan felt the bed jostle as they got in.

“Hey,” Anakin said from behind him, “would it be alright if I got close?”

“Yes.” It was what he was expecting anyway.

As Anakin pressed himself up against Obi-Wan’s back and wrapped his arm around him, Padmé patted the mattress until she found one of Obi-Wan’s hands and pulled it toward her to hold. Obi-Wan was so happy he felt like he was floating.

“Good night,” Anakin whispered before he pressed a kiss to his neck.

Moving a little closer to him, Padmé kissed the back of his hand. “Sleep well, Obi-Wan.”

He let out a quiet sound of contentment and quickly drifted off.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for biphobia.

Anakin was the first to wake up, and of course he was nowhere near Obi-Wan anymore. Because Obi-Wan had rolled over, Anakin saw how young and peaceful he looked in sleep, and it was difficult not to reach out and caress his face. Anakin had feared he’d wake up to find Obi-Wan gone, him having fled to his own apartment in the middle of the night. It had been an irrational fear since Obi-Wan had relaxed in Anakin’s hold, but he had the nasty habit of assuming those he cared about would leave him.

Even though Obi-Wan hadn’t panicked, Anakin was sure there wouldn’t be a repeat of last night, but that didn’t bother him. Just being able to hold Obi-Wan while they fell asleep was amazing and something he hoped to do over and over again. Anakin would have been so disappointed if he wasn’t into cuddling, which would probably make Obi-Wan laugh since Anakin wasn’t disappointed about him not being into sex.

Anakin rolled over onto his back and imagined what it would be like to grow old with both of his partners. He couldn’t marry Obi-Wan, but he would treat him as his husband anyway, and he’d make sure their children understood Obi-Wan was also their parent despite what anyone else told them. They would all be a family.

“What are you smiling about?” Obi-Wan whispered.

Anakin looked over at him. “I’m smiling because I’m with my two favorite people,” he whispered back.

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows twitched upward, but he said nothing. Maybe it took him a while to get passed the grogginess.

Turning so that he was facing him, Anakin brushed the backs of his fingers against Obi-Wan’s cheek. “How long have you had this beard?”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Since I was about your age. I was tired of everyone thinking I was 20 when I was closer to 30.”

“I can definitely understand that.”

“Hmm, I thought you were in your early 20s when we met. Have you ever considered growing a beard?”

“He’s already tried,” Padmé said. She cuddled up to Obi-Wan from behind, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as she laid her hand over his heart. “It wasn’t a good look on him.”

Anakin would be offended if she wasn’t right. The most he could pull off was a little stubble. “Morning, Angel. We didn’t wake you, did we?”

“No, I’ve just been lightly dozing. Did Anakin smack you in your sleep, Obi-Wan?”

Smiling, he locked eyes with Anakin. “If he did, he didn’t wake me.”

That was a relief. “Hey, what do you want for breakfast? I can make waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs with toast, you name it.”

“I’m fine with whatever you two want.”

Padmé sighed before she nuzzled Obi-Wan’s neck. “You should choose. We have blueberries if you’d like blueberry pancakes.” Her hand traveled down to his stomach where she began tickling him.

Obi-Wan laughed in such a carefree way that Anakin was falling in love all over again.

“Alright, I yield! I choose waffles!” He moved away from her to lie on his back, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I haven’t had waffles of the non-frozen variety in many years.”

Anakin maneuvered himself so that his head was pillowed on Obi-Wan’s chest. He loved how soft his shirt was. “You definitely need to invest in a waffle iron then.”

After only a few seconds of hesitation, Obi-Wan put his arm around him. “Padmé, I have a question for you. Why did you thank me after the toy brought you to orgasm?”

“You mean after _you_ brought me to orgasm. You were the one controlling it.” She combed her fingers through Anakin’s hair. “And I was thanking you for trusting us.”

“Oh . . . Well, after everything, of course I trust you.”

Both Anakin and Padmé understood how monumental it was that Obi-Wan wanted to try having sex with them, and they weren’t going to take that trust for granted. They’d talked earlier in the day and went over every scenario they could think of so they’d be able to handle whatever issue came up. Anakin trying to stick his tongue in Obi-Wan’s mouth wasn’t one of those scenarios, but at least Obi-Wan wasn’t so skittish that the small mistake ruined the night.

It hadn’t looked like Obi-Wan enjoyed himself in any way. Anakin sometimes liked to pleasure his wife while wanting nothing in return, so it was possible to have a good time without sexual gratification. Instead, Obi-Wan seemed to go from nervous as hell to mildly interested to bored. Anakin didn’t blame him. If he didn’t feel sexual attraction, he would have trouble understanding what the big deal was too. Whenever they reached the point where it made sense to all live together, they would have to figure out the bed situation. It would get awkward when Padmé and Anakin wanted to have sex and Obi-Wan just wanted to sleep. He should find a poly message board because there had to be times when one partner of a triad wasn’t in the mood while the other two were.

“Ani? Are you listening?”

He’d gone too far into his own head again. He hoped they hadn’t been talking about anything important. “Sorry, no.”

Smiling, Padmé propped herself up on one elbow. “Obi-Wan asked you to move so he could use the bathroom.”

“Oh!” Anakin quickly sat up and got out of bed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Obi-Wan flashed him a smile before he walked into the ensuite.

Anakin stretched and grabbed the shirt he’d thrown on top of the hamper, shrugging when he heard Padmé click her tongue in disapproval. “I’ll be taking a shower after breakfast, so why dirty another shirt?”

After he used the bathroom himself, Anakin put his prosthetic on and started making the waffle batter. It wasn’t long before his partners joined him in the kitchen. He couldn’t help but smile at how fluffed up Obi-Wan’s hair still was.

“Do you need any help?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No, I’m good.”

While Padmé got the plates and utensils out, Obi-Wan stood beside him. Anakin never minded it when someone wanted to watch him bake or cook, and if they were interested in replicating whatever he was making, he’d narrate what he was doing and give tips. In this case, he figured Obi-Wan was only curious, so he didn’t bother explaining anything.

Once he closed the iron on the first waffle, he turned so that his backside was against the counter. “Can we talk about it now?” he asked Obi-Wan.

“Ani, at least let him get something into his stomach first.” Padmé opened the fridge and listed the various drinks they had.

“Orange juice, please,” Obi-Wan said before he let out a small yawn.

Anakin requested the same. “We don’t _have_ to talk about it now, but we should at some point. I’d like to know what to expect going forward.”

“And you have every right to.” Obi-Wan studied the ceiling for a moment, most likely trying to gather his thoughts. He didn’t speak again until after Padmé put two glasses of orange juice and a glass of apple juice on the kitchen table. “I wouldn’t mind doing that occasionally, and although I might be willing to try more than that much further down the road, please don’t count on it.”

Him wanting to do anything was a surprise. As Anakin tried to formulate a response, the waffle iron beeped, and he flipped it just as Padmé came up with a good question.

“So you’re still not sex-repulsed?”

“Correct,” Obi-Wan said with a slight smile. “I didn’t think that would change even if I couldn’t go through with it, but sex for the sake of physical pleasure just isn’t something I desire.”

Wait, what did that mean? Would he have sex for the sake of something else?

“Um, did you get anything out of last night?” Anakin hoped that wasn’t an offensive question.

“Other than learning a few things about myself, no.” That didn’t seem to upset him. In fact, he shrugged and went over to the table to drink some of his orange juice. “But I might have if I’d been in the mood.” Obi-Wan paused in taking another sip and looked between Anakin and Padmé. “What? It’s not as if I have no libido at all.”

Glancing at Padmé, Anakin saw she was just as shocked. “Why didn’t you just wait until you were in the mood then?” he asked right as the iron beeped again. That was one waffle down and at least three more to go. Anakin always had a big appetite, so he usually ate two, while Padmé was satisfied with one. He had no idea how hungry Obi-Wan was.

“I thought about it, but I was a little too impatient. I wanted to see what I could handle, and having any level of need wouldn’t change what I’m comfortable with.”

Padmé nodded. “That means you won’t ever like being touched.”

“Yes.”

Anakin closed the iron and brought the first waffle to the table, placing it next to where Obi-Wan had put his glass down. “Will you touch yourself when you’re in the mood?”

“That all depends on how much time I have, and before you ask, I wouldn’t be comfortable with either of you watching me.”

That hadn’t even crossed Anakin’s mind, but now he couldn’t stop imagining what Obi-Wan looked like when he jerked off. He was glad his back was to Obi-Wan because he was sure his face had gone red. He waited for the second waffle to finish cooking by staring at the iron rather than risk Obi-Wan thinking he was a total pervert.

Padmé chuckled as she pulled a chair out from under the table. “Ani, are you blushing?”

“No.” He sounded like a petulant teenager, which made him cringe.

Padmé bringing attention to it wasn’t making it any easier for Anakin to will the blush away. _God, why does Obi-Wan have to be so ridiculously hot? And how does he not see it himself?_ Then again, with all the self-esteem issues Obi-Wan had, it made sense that he didn’t see himself that way. Maybe if Anakin kept saying how beautiful he was, Obi-Wan would eventually believe him.

Perhaps wanting to spare him the embarrassment, Obi-Wan steered the conversation to what their plans were for the day. Anakin was going to work on Artoo while Padmé was off visiting Sola, but Obi-Wan hadn’t decided what he’d do yet. He said he hadn’t gotten much work done on Saturday because he had trouble concentrating, so Anakin figured he’d spend most of the day trying to catch up.

Breakfast was quiet, and Anakin kept smiling at how Obi-Wan would close his eyes after every couple of bites like he was in heaven. Anakin should buy him a waffle iron and teach him how to make waffles, or he could just invite Obi-Wan up for breakfast so they’d be able to spend even more time together. When would it be appropriate to ask Obi-Wan to move in with them?

Eventually, Obi-Wan had to go back to his own apartment. Padmé gave him a tight hug and said something Anakin couldn’t make out, but Obi-Wan smiled and kissed the top of her head. When it was Anakin’s turn to say goodbye, he hugged Obi-Wan a little too tightly.

“I’d rather leave here with all of my ribs intact,” he wheezed.

“Sorry,” Anakin said with a quick laugh. “Hey, I know how you feel about sex, but what about sleeping in the same bed with us?” He pulled away far enough so that he could see Obi-Wan’s face. Obi-Wan grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and Anakin wanted to kiss him so badly.

“That I would very much like to do again.”

After he left, Padmé made a slightly distressed noise and practically collapsed onto the couch. “I almost told him I love him last night. That would have been a disaster.”

Anakin’s eyebrows shot up. Thinking back to her interactions with Obi-Wan, he tried to pinpoint when she realized she’d fallen for him. It had to have been that night. Otherwise, she would have told Anakin sooner. _Oh. How did I miss that?_ “It was when he was getting you off, wasn’t it? Right after you kissed?”

She nodded. “I think a part of me already knew, but it hadn’t truly clicked until that moment.” Smiling, she bumped her shoulder into him. “I was jealous last night. I wanted to hold him.”

“You should’ve told me when we were in the bathroom.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get my chance next time.”

Right, because there would actually be a next time. It didn’t sound like Obi-Wan was conflicted at all about bedtime cuddling.

Anakin sighed as he wrapped his arm around her. “When _can_ we tell him we love him?”

“I don’t know. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”

For the next two days, both Anakin and Padmé texted Obi-Wan, hoping he hadn’t gone into panic mode after having more time to think about their night together, but he seemed fine. Actually, he was a bit friendlier. Anakin was delighted to see so many emojis from him even though some didn’t make any sense in the context of what Obi-Wan was saying. It was like he was only now just going through all of them, so he was adding the ones he liked or thought were funny to the ends of his texts. Anakin got a text Wednesday morning of the floppy disk emoji and nothing else, making him wonder if it was sent by accident.

 _< You okay over there?>_ Anakin sent back as he waited for his computer to boot up. Lucky for him, his boss was pretty lax about cell phone usage in the office.

Obi-Wan replied within seconds. _< Do you know what that is?>_

Huffing out a laugh, Anakin rolled his eyes. _< I’m not THAT young. I used floppy disks as a kid>_

 _< My apologies.>_ He ended that text with a smiling face. < _Why do they have an emoji for something so outdated? >_

_< No clue. They even have one for a pager>_

To that, Obi-Wan replied with a pager emoji and a shocked face, which had Anakin laughing. He loved seeing this side of Obi-Wan.

An idea hit him, but he knew he should ask Padmé first. Since she only looked at her phone on her lunch break, he sent her a text and put his phone away. While on his own lunch break, he checked to see if she replied, and he got a thumbs-up from her, so Anakin grinned and shot a text to Obi-Wan. _< Hey do you wanna come over after dinner? I was thinking of baking something>_

One of his coworkers sat next to him with two pizza slices he must have gotten from across the street. “Have any exciting plans for tonight?”

“No. Neither of us celebrate Halloween.”

With Padmé being such a fan of horror, Anakin was shocked to find out she didn’t celebrate the holiday, but because she never celebrated it growing up, she didn’t have a connection to it as an adult. She did like the atmosphere around Halloween, so they would watch one of the classic monster movies, which Anakin was fine with since they weren’t scary at all. Anakin had liked Halloween as a kid, but getting bullied for his “stupid” costume when he was eight had soured the holiday for him. He’d been so excited to show it to his classmates, especially since his mom had made it. He didn’t have the heart to tell her what the other kids said about the costume, and he had to lie about why a part of it had been torn off.

Deeming his lunch to no longer be piping hot from the microwave, Anakin started eating and hoped Marno wouldn’t ask him any more questions.

“That’s boring. I’m going to The Den. They have the best Halloween party every year.” He paused and said, “That’s a gay club.”

“I know.”

He perked up slightly. “You do? Did you go with some gay friends or something?”

Marno was one of the few openly gay employees, and since Anakin didn’t have many queer friends, he hung around Marno whenever he had the chance. A few of their coworkers made jokes about Anakin because of that, and while Marno usually told them to back off, he sometimes laughed along at the more “harmless” jokes. Marno tried to convince him their coworkers weren’t being malicious. After all, Marno had been with the company for 10 years, and not once had he felt threatened. That didn’t make Anakin feel any better about it, and the teasing would probably increase if they knew he was bi, so he kept his mouth shut. He distanced himself from Marno after he went on about the time he broke up with a guy because he found out he was bisexual. Anakin never understood how some people could be so vile toward others within the community. Unfortunately, Marno hadn’t taken the hint and still acted just as friendly.

Anakin made a split-second decision, knowing it would probably be the only way to get Marno to leave him alone. After all, why would he want to associate with a “dirty” bisexual? “I went by myself after I turned 21 and quickly realized it wasn’t my scene. Why can’t there be a place we can gather that doesn’t involve alcohol and bodies grinding against each other?”

It took a few seconds for Marno to understand the implication of what Anakin said, if his slowly widening eyes was anything to go by. Leaning in a bit too closely, he whispered, “Anakin, are you gay?”

“I’m not. There _are_ other letters in the acronym, you know.” He left it at that and continued eating. Thankfully, his phone buzzed to alert him he had a text message.

_< I would love to. What do you have in mind?>_

Ignoring Marno, Anakin typed back that he’d been wanting to bake pumpkin spice cupcakes, but he wasn’t sure if Obi-Wan would like them.

_< I’m sure I’ll end up inhaling them.>_

“Have you told your wife?”

Anakin’s smile disappeared at the reminder of the awkward situation he’d created. “Of course I have.”

The look of mild disgust on Marno’s face was expected, but it still stung. “And just how many times have you cheated on her?”

 _What the hell did I get myself into?_  “None! Why would you even think that?”

“Because that’s what bisexuals do! It’s like you can’t help yourselves!”

Of course, two of their coworkers arrived just in time to hear that outburst. They stopped in the doorway like they weren’t sure if eating was worth getting in the way of whatever they thought was going on.

Anakin sighed and put the lid back on his container of pasta. “Always nice to see prejudice within the community is alive and well,” he muttered as he got up. Anakin brushed passed his stunned coworkers after putting his food away, and he didn’t look anyone in the eye as he walked to the lab.

He felt like crying. What if the entire office found out? He was such an idiot. He should have just played dumb about the club and said he had to eat at his desk because he forgot to type up a report. Anakin took a deep breath and went back to working on the latest prototype. Obi-Wan had tried to teach him his own method of calming down, something akin to meditation, but losing himself in a project was the easiest way for Anakin to quiet his mind. Baking sometimes helped too, so it was a good thing he was already planning on making those cupcakes.

No one treated him any differently the rest of the day, but maybe he would be greeted the next morning with curious looks and snickering. There was nothing he could do about it, so he continued to act like everything was fine as he said his goodbyes and headed out.

When he told Padmé what happened, she hugged him and told him most of the people in his office wouldn’t care. Being held by her helped to ease some of his stress. After dinner, Anakin put his full concentration into baking. He debated about making a double batch, but that would take too long, and he wanted Obi-Wan’s company even more than when he’d sent the invite.

As soon as Obi-Wan walked through the front door, Anakin hugged him and buried his face into Obi-Wan’s neck. Obi-Wan froze for a second before he brought his arms up and hugged him back.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

Anakin reluctantly pulled away and closed his eyes for a moment when Padmé rubbed between his shoulder blades. “Remember I told you about the gay guy who works in my office, and he turned out to be a complete biphobe?” At Obi-Wan’s nod, he continued, “Well, I stupidly told him I’m bi, thinking he’d finally leave me alone if I did, and then he basically outed me to some of our coworkers who walked into the lunchroom. It was an accident, but he didn’t have to shout it. Anyone walking by would’ve heard.”

Obi-Wan cupped Anakin’s cheek while resting his other hand on Anakin’s waist. He was getting a lot better at using touch to offer comfort. “I’m so sorry. At least you already know your boss isn’t a close-minded fool.”

That was true. His boss’ daughter was a lesbian, and there were pictures of her with her wife on his desk and even newspaper clippings on one wall of his office to proudly show off her achievements in fighting for better education. If he ever found out about the homophobia in the office, Anakin was positive he’d do more than give light reprimands. Anakin had considered going to him about it, but he was afraid that would only make it worse.

Anakin turned his head toward Obi-Wan’s hand and kissed his palm in thanks. “Maybe the people who heard will keep it to themselves. I don’t think Marno will say anything because while he may be a jerk, purposely going around the office to out me would be a little much. I mean, as a gay man, I would hope he’d know better than to do that.”

“I can’t give you any advice on how to handle it,” Obi-Wan said with a slight frown, “but if you ever need to talk, I’ll gladly listen.”

“I appreciate that.”

Padmé reached out to Obi-Wan and squeezed his shoulder. “Did you face harassment at your old job?”

Anakin raised his eyebrows. They figured he’d tell them when he felt ready to, so Padmé asking him about it directly was a risk.

The expression on Obi-Wan’s face was difficult to read, and he tilted his head to one side. “I did, but I don’t want to upset either of you any more than you already are, so I’ll tell you about it some other time.”

Anakin wanted to say he was alright, but he knew it wouldn’t do him any good to hear about Obi-Wan’s horrible experience when he was trying to stay positive about his own situation. “Okay, then let’s eat. They came out very moist, so I’m excited for you to try them.” He took Obi-Wan by the hand and led him to the couch where a plate of cupcakes was waiting for them on the coffee table. Anakin watched him take a bite, and even though Obi-Wan wasn’t picky when it came to food, Anakin was always a little worried that he’d hate his creations.

Obi-Wan licked the cream cheese frosting off his upper lip and smiled brightly. “This is wonderful!”

“Thank you,” Anakin said as he smiled back and took a cupcake of his own.

Padmé chuckled and handed a napkin to Obi-Wan. “You have some frosting in your mustache.”

“He may as well just wait until he’s done eating because it’ll only happen again.”

Laughing, Obi-Wan wiped at his face anyway. “That’s one downside to facial hair. When did you even have the time to bake these?”

Anakin shrugged. “They took less than an hour, and we had leftovers for dinner, so that freed up some time.” If Anakin hadn’t already planned to bake, he would have worked on Artoo. He needed to get his mind off of what happened.

After Obi-Wan finished his cupcake, he eyed the plate as if he was debating about having another one. “While I’m here, I’d like to ask for your advice.” Even though he was still looking at the cupcakes, he was probably talking to both of them.

Padmé sat up a little straighter, which made Anakin smile. She loved it when people asked her for advice, and she was always honest if she didn’t feel she was the right person to give it. “Go ahead.”

He took another cupcake, but instead of unwrapping it, he merely set it on his plate. “My mother left me a voicemail earlier today.”

Anakin froze. Whatever the woman said couldn’t have been too bad since Obi-Wan was acting like his usual self, but what nerve she had to even _think_ about contacting him. Anakin held his anger back. Exploding wouldn’t make Obi-Wan feel better.

“I didn’t know her number, so I hadn’t blocked it, but she hadn’t called to yell at me. She wants to reconcile.”

He certainly hadn’t expected that.

“Do you believe her?” Padmé asked.

“I do. She said her and my father are separated, and she’s been going to therapy ever since Boma died. Actually, his death seems to have been the catalyst for her change of heart.” Obi-Wan rotated the cupcake on his plate and sighed. “I’m not sure if I should simply ignore her or if I should call her back and see where it goes.”

Padmé furrowed her brow and stared at the table. One course of action had potentially devastating consequences. “Well, do you _want_ to have a relationship with her?”

“I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “A part of me wants to give her a chance, but another part says I’ve been doing just fine without her all these years.”

Thinking about how Obi-Wan didn’t really have a family always made Anakin miss his own mother. He talked to her at least once a week, but he hadn’t seen her since last Christmas. Although she was no longer in Tatooine, she still lived in the southeastern part of the state, which was too far to drive to. If she lived closer to an airport, the expense wouldn’t be so high, but between the bus and plane tickets, neither of them could afford to see each other more than once a year.

If Obi-Wan could have a healthy relationship with his own mother, it would help him deal with the emotional trauma of his childhood. And maybe seeing what therapy was doing for her would make Obi-Wan open to the idea of going to therapy himself. She could do a lot of damage to the progress Obi-Wan had made if it didn’t work out, but it was worth the risk.

“I think you should go for it,” Anakin said, taking another cupcake for himself. “I mean, the fact that she isn’t with your dad anymore is promising. She must’ve realized what a total bastard he is.”

Obi-Wan looked away as he continued to rotate his cupcake. Maybe that wasn’t enough to convince him to take such a huge risk.

Padmé scooted closer to him and gently rested her hand on his arm. “If you decide to give her a chance, start with texts or emails and work your way up to phone conversations. But just remember that you don’t owe your mother anything. It’s perfectly okay if you really don’t want her in your life.”

When it became clear that he wasn’t going to respond anytime soon, Anakin started eating his cupcake. It was better to let Obi-Wan think it over on his own, and Anakin would support whatever decision he made.

Eventually, Obi-Wan unwrapped his cupcake. “I’ll find out what’s motivating her first. If she wants to reconcile to make herself feel better, I’ll block her number and move on, but if it’s for my own benefit, I’ll see if we can have some sort of relationship.”

Padmé gave him a peck on his cheek. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Obi-Wan smiled and took a large bite, getting even more frosting in his mustache than before.

Anakin was so proud of him. Even if Obi-Wan had initially freaked out when he heard the voicemail, he didn’t let it bother him to the point where he became withdrawn. Anakin wondered if Obi-Wan felt closer to them after that night when he tried to have sex. Since they didn’t push Obi-Wan away after he realized he couldn’t go through with it, that meant they hadn’t been lying when they said they accepted _all_ of him. Maybe Obi-Wan wouldn’t react badly to them declaring their love for him.

_Should I just say it?_

Once Obi-Wan finished the cupcake and wiped his mouth, Anakin took both of their plates and put them on the table. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows when Anakin held his hands in his own. “I want you to know you’re very important to me.”

Padmé’s eyes widened and since Obi-Wan was facing Anakin, he couldn’t see her quickly shaking her head.

Anakin was tired of holding it in, so he ignored her and took a deep breath. “And I want you to know that I love you.”

Obi-Wan sat there in silence, but after what felt like an hour had passed, he squeezed Anakin’s hands and gave him a shaky smile. “I haven’t sorted my own feelings out,” he said quietly, “so I don’t know what to tell you in return.”

Padmé’s body sagged in relief, and Anakin himself let out the small breath he’d been holding. What had been a shitty day had turned into a great one. Anakin didn’t mind that Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he loved him yet. What mattered was that Obi-Wan cared about him . . . which would be nice to hear.

“That’s okay,” Anakin said as he let go of Obi-Wan. He brushed the hair back from Obi-Wan’s forehead. “Even if it’s not love, you at least like me, right?” Anakin laughed a little to show he wasn’t serious in asking that question, but at the same time, he desperately needed Obi-Wan to say how he felt about him.

Obi-Wan’s expression softened. “Oh, Anakin. Of course I like you. I am so grateful to have both you and Padmé in my life, but I don’t know what romantic love feels like.” He paused and looked down at the floor. “While I do believe your love for me is genuine, I know I’ll still experience moments of extreme doubt. It doesn’t happen as often now, but I’m sure it will take a long time for me to work passed it. I simply ask for your patience.”

“You have it,” Anakin said quickly, and Obi-Wan looked back up at him. “I mean, I try my hardest to be patient when it comes to those I care about. I don’t always succeed, so please tell me if I’m ever being a jerk.”

“I will.” He flashed Anakin a smile and turned to Padmé. “There’s nothing you want to tell me, right?”

Judging by his tone, Obi-Wan was only joking, but the panic that crossed her face revealed too much. Anakin cringed. What if her confession put Obi-Wan over the edge?

“Oh.”

Padmé sighed as she folded her hands in her lap. “I hadn’t realized until Saturday night, but I was afraid to say it. You tend not to react well to that sort of thing.”

“I’ve . . . gotten better, I think.”

Anakin agreed with that, but he was still nervous. At least Obi-Wan hadn’t gotten up and  left.

“You have,” Padmé said, nodding, “but I didn’t want to risk it.” She held his face in her hands, and Obi-Wan’s shoulders drooped slightly as if the tension was being drained away by her touch. “People don’t fall in love simultaneously, and your background plays a large role in all this, so not saying anything in return is fine with me.”

Anakin leaned forward to see Padmé give Obi-Wan a soft kiss. His eyes were closed, and his hands twitched toward her.

“I love you, Obi-Wan.”

Opening his eyes, he smiled and cupped her cheek, but he remained silent.

Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan before resting his forehead against the back of Obi-Wan’s neck. He just knew they would be the perfect family he had dreamed of for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Obi-Wan will tell them what happened at the publishing house in the next chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! I feel bad about updating so infrequently, but at least this chapter is pretty long.
> 
> Shout-out to Tikkunthisfuckingolam for giving me some info on polyamory and Judaism.

“And that movie looked so good from the trailers. I swear they release the worst horror movies around Halloween.” Ahsoka kicked a rock down the parking lot isle and sighed. “I don’t know why I keep expecting something different every year.”

“Yes, but it’s nice to get out.”

Padmé was equally disappointed. At least there was a romantic drama coming out in a few weeks that Anakin was excited about. Because it had been shown at some of the larger film festivals, there were already quite a few glowing reviews. She just had to make sure the couple made it to the end of the film alive. After a cheap plot twist left Anakin “scarred for life,” Padmé always checked if the movie they were going to watch had a happy ending, even if that meant spoiling it for herself.

“You should come to the apartment for a snack,” Padmé said once they reached her car. “Anakin saved you a pumpkin spice cupcake.”

“Sure! I just hope he knows that if he starts teasing me about Steela, I’ll tease him right back about Obi-Wan.”

Padmé laughed. After having dated for three months, Ahsoka was going to meet Steela’s parents next weekend. It was obvious to Padmé how serious Ahsoka was about her. “He’s too easy to embarrass. He confessed to Obi-Wan, you know.”

“Yeah, he texted me about it. Were there roses and lit candles? He’s such a romance nerd.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that, but no. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. I ended up confessing too.” As she pulled out of the parking space, Ahsoka looked at her with raised eyebrows. “I had to. Obi-Wan joked about me loving him, and I couldn’t control my expression quick enough. He was fine.”

“Did he say it back?”

“He’s not there yet.”

“When will you meet his parents? I know they’re still in the UK, so I’m guessing it’d be a while.”

“Hopefully never.” Padmé narrowed her eyes at the road. “They’re total assholes.”

Ahsoka barked out a laugh. “Sorry. You just sound funny when you curse. And I’d gotten the vibe that he doesn’t get along with his family.”

Obi-Wan still hadn’t said anything about what happened with his mother, but he seemed to be in good spirits in his texts. She wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Damn, I just realized he has to meet your parents _and_ Anakin’s mom. I’m so nervous about meeting Steela’s parents. I can’t imagine doing that twice.”

“It’ll be alright. He can turn on the charm when he really makes the effort.”

At least Shmi would be easy. She already knew they were a poly couple, and Anakin had been telling her about Obi-Wan ever since they started dating. Her own parents’ reactions were still something she worried about even though Sola thought they’d get over the shock quickly. Padmé’s story was out of first draft hell, but she wanted to go over it a few more times before giving it to Obi-Wan. He would be busy with his new job anyway.

“You’re meeting Steela’s parents over lunch, right?”

“Yeah, at their favorite restaurant. Steela said they’ll be on their best behavior since they’ll be in public.”

“I’m sure they’ll love you,” Padmé said with a smile as she glanced at Ahsoka.

“I really hope so.”

Anakin was running tests on Artoo in the living room when they walked in, much to Ahsoka’s delight.

“He looks great!” She knelt in front of Artoo and patted its head. “Have you written more code for him since I was here last time?”

“Yeah, I’m up to 120 words and phrases,” he said, grinning. “I’ve decided against having Artoo talk in human speech. I like him this way.”

Ahsoka got to her feet and gave him a quick hug in greeting. “It’s almost as if you have a secret language since only you know what all the sounds mean.”

His eyes grew wide. “I was just telling Padmé that yesterday!”

Padmé always enjoyed watching the two of them interact. They were adorable, and considering neither of them had grown up with siblings—Anakin and Owen were never that close—it was funny to Padmé how much they acted like brother and sister.

Anakin showed off Artoo for a good 10 minutes, and some of it was even new to Padmé since Anakin had been keeping Artoo in the workshop for the past two weeks. She was so proud of him.

“I heard you have a cupcake for me.”

“I do.” Anakin continued talking as he went into the kitchen. “I wrapped it up as best I could so it wouldn’t get stale.”

Ahsoka leaned into Padmé as she kept her eyes on the entryway of the kitchen. “He seems normal, so the thing at his job really ended up not being a big deal?” she whispered.

Anakin must have told her about being outed. Padmé didn’t blame her for not believing he was fine. A lot of straight people didn’t understand how distressing being outed was, so she wasn’t surprised when Anakin texted her that morning to say word had gotten around his entire office. One of his coworkers told him so he wouldn’t be caught off guard if anyone mentioned it to him. But no one treated him horribly. In fact, he didn’t get teased once the rest of the week. Anakin wasn’t sure if something had been said to their boss and he in turn told everyone to knock it off. It didn’t really matter. Padmé was just relieved Anakin didn’t have to face a hostile work environment.

“It wasn’t,” she whispered back. “If any of them have a problem with it, they’re keeping it to themselves.”

“Oh, we’re telling secrets now?” Anakin asked as walked into the living room. At least he was smiling. Two years ago, he would have gotten annoyed and jumped to the worst conclusion.

Ahsoka took the plate from him, her eyes lighting up at the perfectly frosted cupcake. “No, I just wanted to make sure you really are okay. You like to hide stuff from me so I don’t worry about you even though I worry about you anyway.”

Frowning, Anakin opened his mouth to no doubt tell her she was wrong, but he closed it and stared at the floor instead. He sat next to her after she took a bite and made a sound of contentment. “I don’t _like_ hiding things from you, but you have enough going on in your life, and I don’t want to add to your worries.”

She shook her head as she finished chewing. “But you’re a part of my life, Anakin. You really don’t think I’d be upset if I found out later you were going through some shit that I had no idea about?”

“I _do_ tell you— I told you about what happened at work.”

“Only after everything turned out to be fine, right?”

Anakin’s body sagged on an exhale. “Yes.”

“I’m not asking you to tell me everything. Just don’t keep stuff from me because you think I can’t handle it.” Ahsoka shoved him, but not hard enough that he tipped over. “I love you, you dork, and I wanna know if you’re okay or not.”

He had the warmest smile on his face as he shoved her back just as lightly. “I love you too. I promise I’ll do better.”

“And I’ll make sure he keeps that promise,” Padmé said while she pulled Ahsoka into a hug.

Ahsoka beamed at her when she let go. “I’m so glad he married you.” She took a much larger bite of her cupcake and bopped her head as if she were listening to music. Before she took another bite, she turned to Anakin and gave him a thumbs-up. “Skyguy, this is the best pumpkin spice anything I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you.” He took the index finger of his left hand, swiped a bit of frosting off, and put his finger in his mouth.

“Anakin! That’s gross!” This time she did shove him hard enough that he fell over, but he went down laughing.

Padmé laughed along with him. It was always a relief to see that one couldn’t stay mad at the other for very long.

The next morning, her and Anakin received a very interesting group text from Obi-Wan.

_< Good morning. My insufferable friend paid me a surprise visit last night, and he really wants to meet you. Would you mind coming down for tea this afternoon?>_

Anakin looked at her from across the kitchen table with wide eyes. “We’re going to meet one of his people,” he whispered. “What if he hates me?”

As calm as Anakin had been about the prospect of meeting Satine, Padmé had known he would get nervous when the reality of meeting Obi-Wan’s friends set in. “He won’t hate you, Ani.”

“You don’t know that,” he mumbled as he went back to his cereal.

Padmé almost rolled her eyes. She sent a text to Obi-Wan that they’d love to meet his friend, and he responded shortly after with a time. “I wonder if his friend is sleeping on his couch. It’s a little strange to pay a surprise visit at night. Any idea of who this friend might be?”

Chewing, Anakin shrugged.

“He’s mentioned a few names, but the ones that have come up the most are Satine and . . . Quin?”

Anakin nodded and pointed at her with his spoon. “Yeah, Quin is the American guy he met at college. He offered Obi-Wan a place to stay when he moved to the US, or maybe it was he suggested Obi-Wan move to the US and offered him a place to stay. I don’t remember.”

She hoped Quin was the friend they were going to meet because they could ask all about Obi-Wan’s college days. They’d probably never meet anyone who knew Obi-Wan when he was younger, not unless it really did work out with his mother. Padmé didn’t even _want_ to meet her, but if Obi-Wan gained some peace through reconciling with her, Padmé would keep her opinions on the woman to herself.

When they left their apartment hours later, Anakin was practically vibrating with nervous energy. “I just know I’m gonna say something stupid.”

“You’ll be fine.” She patted him on the back. “Just think of all the fun stories you’ll get to hear about Obi-Wan.”

He straightened up a little. “And by fun you mean embarrassing?”

“Well, maybe.” It was only fair since he would get to hear embarrassing stories about them when he met their parents.

Anakin was smiling by the time they reached Obi-Wan’s apartment, and when he was happy, he was less awkward. He took a deep breath and hit the buzzer.

Obi-Wan said something before he opened the door, and judging by his tone, he was annoyed. He had a resigned smile on his face when he greeted them. “Hello. I’ll warn you now that Quin is being more obnoxious than usual.”

“Hey!”

So it was his college friend after all. _This should be interesting._

A man about Obi-Wan’s age was standing by the kitchen, and he took a step back when he saw them, his mouth agape. “Shit, Kenobi! They’re so young! What, is that one still in high school?”

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Quinlan, please don’t be rude.”

Forever tired of being treated like he wasn’t an adult, Anakin crossed his arms and frowned. “I know I look young, but I don’t look like a teenager.”

Most people didn’t guess Padmé’s age correctly either, but it only got on her nerves in a work environment. She would enjoy it more as she got older. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Quin held his hands up in a placating manner. “I was only exaggerating, but you do look _really_ young to be going out with this fossil.”

Since Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, Padmé figured Quin teased him often, but not in a way that actually bothered him. Anakin, however, took great offense to that comment.

“What?” he squawked. “He’s not old!”

“Anakin, it’s fine.” Smiling, Obi-Wan put his hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “He’s been calling me that since I was 21. It’s mostly because of how I dress. And, Quin, he’s 26.”

“Damn, really? You’re blessed with good genes.”

Anakin calmed down and let Obi-Wan maneuver him to the couch. It was so nice to have someone else around to handle Anakin.

Two mugs of tea were waiting for them on the coffee table. When he’d asked what kind of tea they wanted, they told him to surprise them. Padmé took her mug just as Quin sat down in the armchair, and while she could usually get a good read on people, she wasn’t getting anything on him. The joking atmosphere was gone, but she couldn’t tell what had taken its place.

“Padmé, Anakin, this is Quinlan Vos. He’s visiting from New Jersey.”

As he took his own mug, Anakin made a show of looking unimpressed. So much for being nervous about Obi-Wan’s friend hating him. “What’s in New Jersey?”

Quin smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “I do most of my work in the city. It’s just cheaper to live on the other side of the Hudson.”

There was something strange about Quin, and Padmé couldn’t shake the feeling he had an ulterior motive for wanting to meet them. How much had Obi-Wan told him? People often misunderstood poly relationships, so if Obi-Wan didn’t explain it very well, Quin might think they were only using Obi-Wan.

Anakin took a loud slurp of his tea. “And what do you do?”

“I find people.”

Obi-Wan sat back into the couch while frowning slightly. Perhaps he was also confused about what was going on. “He’s quite good at it, but before your imaginations run wild, he’s just a private investigator.”

Putting a hand to his stomach, Quin acted as if he’d been punched. “ _Just_ a private investigator?”

“Did you miss the part where I said you’re good at your job?”

Quin flashed him a smile before he pointed at Anakin’s right arm. “What’s up with the glove? Are you hiding something or is it some kind of ridiculous fashion statement?”

“Quinlan,” Obi-Wan said as a warning.

Padmé had no idea how Anakin would react. He was always self-conscious about his prosthetic around new people, but considering he didn’t like Quin very much, he might not care what he thought.

Anakin lifted his right arm and opened and closed his hand. “It protects my arm.” He didn’t elaborate, which meant he was either being difficult to annoy Quin or he assumed Quin would figure it out on his own. As impressive as his prosthetic was, the movement of his hand wasn’t fluid enough to look natural.

It didn’t take long for him to get it. “Shit, sorry. I really am being an ass, aren’t I?”

“Well, you’re certainly not making a good first impression,” Obi-Wan said while he crossed his arms.

They all needed a change of subject. Padmé took a sip of her tea and made a pleased sound. “Obi-Wan, this is delicious. What is it?”

“Mango flavored black tea. It’s not too strong?”

She shook her head before she took another sip and held the mug in her lap. “You must be excited about tomorrow.” It was his first official day working for the small publisher.

“I am.”

Padmé loved that Obi-Wan smiled much more often now.

“Right. You’re the one who gave him the idea.” Quin leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Why?”

That was a bizarre thing to ask. Why wouldn’t she want to help him? “Having a steady income is less stressful. Whatever problems Obi-Wan had at his old job might not come up in a small company, so I thought that would be better for him.”

She was glad he got hired by an LGBT press. Working with queer authors could help give him a sense of belonging within the community. Padmé remembered what it was like to struggle with all the labels and how she felt as if she was an invader for being attracted to men more often than women. Joining an LGBT club in college changed all that, and she hoped Obi-Wan’s new job would have a similar effect.

Eyebrows raised, Quin straightened up and looked at Obi-Wan. “You haven’t told them?”

“There hasn’t been a good time to talk about it,” he said with a shrug.

“What about now?”

Anakin put his mug on the table with enough force that Padmé was afraid he’d cracked it. “If he doesn’t want to talk about it, he doesn’t have to.”

Obi-Wan held his hand out in an effort to calm him. “It’s fine, Anakin. I don’t mind telling both of you.”

“But _he_ already knows.”

Padmé had to stop herself from glaring at Anakin. He wasn’t making a good first impression either. She would have to talk to him about jealousy issues later. She’d thought she wouldn’t have to worry about that since he’d been doing so well with sharing Obi-Wan’s time.

“Of course he knows,” Obi-Wan said firmly, his expression cold. “He’d offered to listen many times when we had been roommates, so when I needed to talk about it, I went to him.” Obi-Wan grabbed his empty mug and stood, presumably to put some space between them so he could calm down himself.

Eyes wide, Anakin got up from the couch to follow him. “Wait, I’m being a jerk. I’m sorry.”

Quin leaned into the back of the armchair as he watched them, and Padmé finally understood. Quin was being protective. He wanted to make sure they really did care about Obi-Wan, so he’d been provoking them on purpose to see if he could get to the truth. Had Obi-Wan told Quin they loved him? Had he told him about their night together and the conversation the following morning? Although Obi-Wan wasn’t the type to talk about all that with a third party, Padmé didn’t know how close he was with Quin.

After Obi-Wan stared at Anakin for a moment, he smiled a little and pointed at the kitchen. “Sit. I’ll be right back.” It was entirely possible Obi-Wan had wanted to leave the room not only to calm down but also to let Quin talk to them alone.

“So you’re okay with him being ace, huh?” The nonchalance he was going for was ruined by the suspicion in his eyes.

Anakin sat where Obi-Wan had been sitting, which meant he was closer to Quin. “We don’t have a problem with it. We love and accept all of him.”

“You love him?”

Padmé rested her hand on Anakin’s shoulder as her way of telling him to back down. He hadn’t figured out what Quin was doing, so of course Quin’s skepticism offended him. However, Padmé knew the best way to handle the situation. “Very much so. It’s not as strong as what Anakin and I have for each other, but that doesn’t make it any less genuine. I am confident it will grow with time like it did between us.”

His eyes flicked between her and Anakin, and it felt like they were specimens being examined under a microscope. Eventually, Quin nodded. “You’ll regret it if you hurt him.”

“We won’t hurt him,” Anakin said, “not intentionally.”

Anakin’s confidence and honesty seemed to do the trick because Quin smiled at them and this time, it reached his eyes.

Obi-Wan returned empty-handed, so he must have washed his mug rather than make more tea. He probably didn’t want to risk leaving them alone for too long. Once he sat down, he closed his eyes for a moment and said, “It didn’t start until after I was hired as a full-time employee. I still don’t know why he didn’t bother me while I was an intern.”

“Your boss?” Padmé asked hesitantly.

“No, one of my coworkers. He was relentless.”

Anakin held Obi-Wan’s hand and stroked his thumb over the back of it. “Did he ever touch you?” His voice was pitched low, and Padmé could easily imagine a murderous glint in his eyes.

He shook his head. “It was mostly verbal harassment. Some of it was sexual in nature, but I could tell he only wanted to make me uncomfortable.” He looked at the table, maybe to hide whatever emotion they would see in his eyes, but at least he wasn’t tensing up. “The worst part was how everyone else reacted to it. They either ignored it or joined in. Not one person came to my defense. I knew it wasn’t personal since no one came to the aid of his other victims, but it still hurt.”

Padmé reached over Anakin and squeezed Obi-Wan’s knee. “Did you try going to management?”

“I went to my direct supervisor twice, which only made the situation worse, so I stayed quiet about it after that. When my coworker slapped me on the arse, I went to my supervisor’s boss, and that hadn’t gone well.” After Quin snorted, Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and gave them a fake smile. “Alright, that’s putting it mildly. It had been awful. To this day, I remember his exact words. ‘You must have done something to make him think you enjoyed that sort of attention. Besides, I’m sure you’re blowing it out of proportion because if it truly was that bad, you would have said something to me sooner.’”

Her jaw dropped. How could anyone say that? If Padmé found out one of her managers had reacted to an employee coming forward about harassment by blaming them and treating it as if it wasn’t a big deal, she would fire them on the spot. She had absolutely no tolerance for harassment, and she made sure all of her staff knew that. The rage she felt towards that man made her want to throw something.

Obi-Wan looked down at the hand Anakin was holding and winced, causing Anakin to let him go and murmur an apology. Anakin had to be even more furious than Padmé, and she was so grateful he was keeping himself in check. Obi-Wan must have noticed because he tucked a lock of hair behind Anakin’s ear and rested his hand on his neck, stroking his thumb over the skin there. They were supposed to be comforting him, not the other way around.

“Qui-Gon was always there if I had a question about the industry, and I appreciated his honesty in my early years, but he was awful at dealing with interpersonal issues. Despite knowing this, his reaction still felt like a betrayal. I finally told Quin everything that night and quit the next day.”

After taking a deep breath, Anakin said calmly, “I want to break that man’s face.” At least he had the presence of mind to know exploding with anger would have been a large step backwards. He had only just saved himself from the terrible first impression he’d made.

“I’ll bring the bat,” Padmé said. Although there was a slight edge to their words, she hoped Obi-Wan knew they weren’t serious. “Please tell me he doesn’t still work there.”

Obi-Wan stared at them with raised eyebrows. Whatever reaction he expected, it obviously wasn’t that. “He does, but the man who harassed me is no longer with the company. After I’d explained to Satine why I quit, she made a point of asking about him the next time she went to the publisher. I don’t know if he was fired or if he left on his own.”

“I remember you said you worked there for eight years, but how long was your internship?” Padmé was afraid of the answer.

“Only three months.”

_So it was basically eight years of harassment? Oh, Obi-Wan._

Anakin held both of Obi-Wan’s hands. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but why didn’t you quit sooner?”

The abuse he suffered from his parents growing up must have had something to do with why he stayed. His sense of self-worth wasn’t very high when they met him, and Padmé doubted it was much better years ago. He probably thought he deserved such terrible treatment.

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I liked the job itself, and the pay was good, but I look back on it now and wonder why I put myself through that for so long.”

“You didn’t have the best opinion of yourself,” Quin said. With his expression unguarded, it was easy to see how much it pained him to think of that time.

Obi-Wan sighed as he slipped his hands out of Anakin’s grasp. “No, I didn’t.”

Padmé wanted to hold Obi-Wan close and never let go. He had dealt with so much in his life. It amazed her that he gave Anakin a second chance, that he even took the risk of opening his heart up to them. With Anakin being in the way, she held out her hand instead and smiled when Obi-Wan took it without hesitation. “I hope your experience with this company will be much better.”

He returned her smile. “I have a good feeling about it.”

“I swear,” Quin said as he pointed at Obi-Wan, “I haven’t seen this guy be so positive in _years_. Did the two of you brainwash him or something?”

Anakin spoke up before Padmé could joke back with Quin. “Maybe we’ve just been rubbing off on Obi-Wan. We do spend a lot of time with him since we live right upstairs.”

“Yeah, he said you give him a lot of the stuff you bake, and you’re making him fat.”

Obi-Wan jerked forward and tried to swat at Quin. “I said no such thing! I’ve gained weight because I’m eating more in general.”

Quin smiled widely. “Did Obi-Wan tell you about when he tried to pass as Scottish for one of his classes?”

“Of course that’s the first thing you bring up,” Obi-Wan groaned.

So it was finally time for embarrassing stories. Padmé could barely contain herself. “Why did he try to do that?”

“It was a social experiment. Act like you’re from somewhere else for a week and see if strangers treat you any different. And Obi-Wan has a freakish talent with accents. He can do about a dozen of them and sound pretty damn convincing.”

Grinning, Anakin took Obi-Wan by the shoulders and rocked him from side to side. “Please tell me you wore a kilt.”

Obi-Wan turned to Padmé with a “help me” look in his eyes, which made her giggle. “Even though my Scottish friend offered me his kilt, I didn’t go that far, and don’t ask me to do the accent.”

“Pleeease.” Although Padmé couldn’t see Anakin’s face, she easily pictured him using his big, puppy-dog eyes on Obi-Wan. It worked every time.

He gave Anakin a blank stare, but his resolve soon crumbled. With a hint of a smile, he straightened up and jabbed his thumb in Quin’s direction. “If he keeps being such a blether, he’ll have to find another place to sleep tonight.”

Padmé would freely admit that she loved his English accent. She could listen to him talk all day. Now she wanted to hear what other accents Obi-Wan could do.

Anakin turned to her with a goofy smile on his face. “Isn’t he just adorable?”

Quin barked out a laugh while Obi-Wan sighed.

“Yes, he is.” She attempted to ruffle Obi-Wan’s hair as a joke, but he ducked out of reach.

To spare Obi-Wan too much embarrassment, Padmé made up an excuse to leave after Quin told a few more stories. Hopefully, Obi-Wan would be just as compassionate when it was his turn to hear stories about them. She knew Sola would be merciless.

Obi-Wan’s friendship with Quin was odd in that the two were so different, but Padmé was glad to see he had someone who cared enough to test them. Although Quin’s skepticism hadn’t bothered her, she hoped they wouldn’t have to prove themselves to Satine as well. Maybe Satine believed that Obi-Wan knew when a person was lying to him.

Before they left, Quin gave her hand a firm shake and reached out to do the same to Anakin. Typically, Anakin didn’t like to touch someone with his prosthetic so soon after meeting them, but his hesitation didn’t last long.

“I still think your arrangement is a little strange, but it’s clearly working for the three of you.”

Anakin shrugged as he let go of Quin’s hand. “We’re trying our best.”

While she hugged Obi-Wan goodbye, Padmé whispered, “Thank you for telling us.” His trust was something she cherished, so she would always thank him for opening up.

Cupping her face gently, he kissed her in reply.

\------

Padmé checked her hair and makeup in the mirror by the front door. She hadn’t been able to spend time with Obi-Wan alone for weeks since she’d been too busy to take lunch at the café. While she loved their group dates, she still wanted to be with Obi-Wan when it was just the two of them.

“Don’t your cheeks hurt?” Anakin asked as he walked up behind her. His fingers dipped into the back of her collar, which meant the tag had popped out again. “You’ve been smiling for the last 10 minutes.”

She turned around and poked him in the shoulder. “Like I haven’t seen you behave the same way. I won’t stay too late.”

Grinning, he poked her back. “Have a great time.”

Obi-Wan had offered to cook dinner for her, but he warned her that if it ended up being awful, they would have to order delivery. She promised not to compare his cooking to Anakin’s. Anakin excelled at baking anyway. His cooking skills were about average. Not wanting to go empty-handed, she brought a bottle of wine, which he took from her with a kiss on her cheek.

“You have good taste,” he said as he looked at the label. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It smells good in here. Was it a success?”

He smiled a bit sheepishly and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. “I think so. I do apologize for the mess. I tried to clean up as best I could before you got here.”

Padmé had no idea what mess he was referring to. When Anakin baked, it was like a tornado went through their kitchen. His small table was already set, but the food was on the counter, so she grabbed the plates and handed one to him. “Thank you for cooking. It’s been ages since we’ve had the chance to talk.” She didn’t say “without Anakin around” because that would sound unkind.

His smile was dazzling. “It has, but don’t thank me before you’ve tried the food.”

Padmé had to resist the urge to kiss him. While she knew he didn’t mind kissing, she wanted to kiss him _passionately_ , and that would be crossing a line. “You’re just being overly critical.” She distracted herself by piling food onto her plate.

If she’d been told Anakin had cooked it, she’d believe them, and Obi-Wan’s look of pure relief when she said that almost made her laugh. They ate in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company, and it wasn’t until she was about halfway through her plate that she got a conversation going.

“So now that the week is over, what are your thoughts on the new job?”

He’d sent her and Anakin a group text at the end of his first day, saying he had a video chat with each of his colleagues. Obi-Wan found it odd to call them “coworkers” when they didn’t actually work together in the same building. They were all very friendly, and his boss asked if there were any kinds of stories he’d prefer. She even asked him what he wasn’t comfortable with and promised he wouldn’t be given stories that had those themes. To have such a considerate boss must have been a pleasant surprise.

“I love it,” he said after he finished chewing. “I’ve been working on a novella that’s quite rough, but the author is very open to my suggestions, and I just started a novel this morning that has a triad in it. While those characters aren’t the focus of the story, it’s been interesting to see someone else’s view on polyamory. My boss actually called me yesterday to ask how I was doing, and I said I can take more clients.” He shrugged and gifted her with another wonderfully bright smile. “After all, there were times I worked on seven manuscripts at once. That was a bit much, though, so I told her I can do up to five, which she was completely fine with.”

Padmé reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “I am so happy for you, Obi-Wan.”

“Well, I thank you for giving me the nudge.” He speared a piece of chicken onto his fork and dragged it through the sauce. “How is your story coming along, by the way?”

She sighed as she took her hand back. “It’s better, but I’m still not satisfied with the middle part. It feels rushed.”

“Because you wanted to get to a certain plot point, right?”

“Yeah. I know it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to convey that our relationships are honest and loving, not a perversion.” She swirled the wine around in her glass as she tried to will her nervousness away. She was putting too much pressure on herself. At least she would feel better about once Obi-Wan gave her some guidance. “Judaism is a central theme since I thought that would make it more appealing to them.”

He perked up a little. “I asked Anakin what Judaism said about multiple relationships, but he had no idea.”

It was true that Anakin hadn’t asked her about it, but there wasn’t much reason to since she wasn’t conflicted about being both Jewish and poly. That didn’t mean she’d never done her own research on the subject. “Polygamy was allowed back in ancient times under certain circumstances, and multiple relationships in general technically aren’t forbidden. It really depends on who you talk to. Some Jews will vehemently say it’s not allowed while others, even some rabbis, have no problem with it.”

“Have you ever brought it up with a rabbi?”

“Only online. There’s a rabbi who has a blog that’s quite popular among progressive Jews, and I asked him what his thoughts were. He said it’s fine as long as no one is being hurt, but I shouldn’t expect most rabbis to be so accepting since even those within the Reform movement would say being in a polyamorous relationship is going a step too far.” That didn’t really bother her since she expected it, but it was comforting to hear from at least one rabbi that her love wasn’t wrong.

“So the rabbi of the synagogue your parents go to would most likely not approve.”

“I’ve known him all my life, and he’s a great man, but I doubt he would accept you as our partner. I’m sorry.”

Obi-Wan smiled sadly and shook his head. “It’s alright. I was aware from the start that most people would think there’s something wrong with our arrangement, but being with both of you is worth having to deal with their prejudice.”

Considering Obi-Wan had probably thought he’d always be alone, it didn’t surprise her that he was willing to take the chance of being scorned by others. But that meant she could bring up something she hadn’t gotten around to discussing with Anakin yet. “Our group dates have been private, but I’d really like for the three of us to go out somewhere. If you feel comfortable enough with that . . . ”

He paused in bringing his glass up to his mouth. “I do, but in case you haven’t already noticed, I’m quite terrible at coming up with date ideas.”

Padmé laughed. It hadn’t escaped her attention that her and Anakin had mostly been the ones who came up with suggestions. “Tonight was your idea, though. With delicious food and wonderful company, I’d call this date a success.” It was cute how he tried to hide his smile behind his glass. She really hoped he would be up for some cuddling after they finished eating.

It didn’t take them long to clear their plates, and Padmé insisted on helping with the dishes, which gave her the perfect opportunity to ask him about his mother. She figured it would be easier for him to talk about it if he had something to do at the same time.

“I’m sure you’re curious about how it went with my mother,” Obi-Wan said as he handed her a mixing bowl to dry off.

That caught her off-guard, so she didn’t grab the bowl right away. “I was actually just going to ask you about her.”

“Well, she swore she wants to reconcile for my own benefit, but I realized I wouldn’t want her in my life if she won’t accept me for who I am.” He kept his eyes on the sink as he talked, but his voice was steady. “I told her I’m attracted to both men and women, and I’m currently in a relationship with a man. I also said I’m very fond of Anakin and that I’m not ashamed of him at all. This was through email, of course. I didn’t make the distinction that I’m only _romantically_ attracted to both men and women because then I’d have to tell her I’m ace, and in my view, that’s really none of her business. I left out the polyamorous bit as well since that would be too much at once. I sent the email last night.”

“Did she reply yet?” Padmé feared her response wasn’t a good one, if she even bothered to respond.

“She did.” Having washed the last dish that didn’t have to be soaked first, he shut off the water and dried his hands on a towel. When he finally looked at Padmé, he sighed through his nose. “It was quite long. She begged me to repent because she didn’t want me to go to hell, and she said she would pray for me every day. Honestly, I didn’t even read the whole thing.”

Padmé had really hoped it could work out between them. After she put her dish towel down, she rubbed his upper arm. “I’m so sorry. I guess that’s the end of it then.”

“Yes, and I didn’t respond to her. It wasn’t worth it. I blocked both her email address and her phone number. I’m glad I gave it a shot, though, because if I hadn’t, I’d always wonder if she could be back in my life in a positive way. I doubt she’ll say anything about it to my father since she made it very clear she was done with him.”

Padmé was so relieved his mother’s reaction didn’t make Obi-Wan backslide. The amount of progress he’d made on his own only further convinced her that getting professional help would do wonders for him. She just wasn’t sure how open he would be to the idea, and it wasn’t something she wanted to bring up on a date.

“Would you like dessert?”

She wasn’t expecting dessert, but it was too soon to eat anything else. “In a little bit. I need to make room,” she said as she put a hand on her stomach. “What do you have?”

He gave her a sly smile and walked out of the kitchen. “You’ll see later.”

Padmé wouldn’t be surprised if he asked Anakin what her favorite dessert was. He had it much easier than they did regarding likes and dislikes. Obi-Wan could simply ask one of them about the other, while they had no one they could ask but Obi-Wan himself.

She joined him on the couch, happy to see his arm stretched over the back of it. When she leaned into him, he brought his arm down and held her close, not a trace of awkwardness to be found.

“Would you want me to look over your story? I can easily make time for it.” His voice was quiet, almost soothing.

“Not yet.” Being years out of practice, she was too self-conscious. It was better to go over it at least a few more times before handing it off to someone who read stories for a living. She wasn’t afraid of his criticism. She just didn’t want him to think she was an awful writer. “Hey, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?”

He didn’t answer right away, but he was probably thrown off by the sudden change in topic. “I don’t have any.”

Padmé gave his thigh a gentle squeeze. “You should come with us to my parents’ house. We’d have to introduce you as a friend, but I think it might be good for my family to meet you first before I tell them.”

“Would it just be your parents?” he asked slowly.

“No. My sister and her family will be there, as well as some aunts and uncles and their children, some of whom bring their own significant others. It’s usually about 25 people.”

He tensed up. “That’s a lot. They won’t think it’s strange of you to bring a friend?”

“All I’d have to say is that we didn’t want you to spend the holiday alone.” After he stayed quiet for nearly a minute, she pulled back from him slightly to look at his face. “You don’t have to go, Obi-Wan.”

“I know. I’m just wondering if the risk is worth it. Anakin isn’t the best actor.”

That was a good point. Anakin had been able to tone it down enough that Obi-Wan hadn’t realized he’d fallen for him, but some of her family members might notice Anakin had feelings for someone other than his wife.

“I’ll talk to him about that. I know it’s not a holiday you grew up with, so it’s probably not a big deal to you, but just think about it, okay? There’s still time before I’d have to tell my mother she needs another place setting.”

Obi-Wan nodded while he put his hand on top of hers. “Thank you for asking me.”

“Well, of course I’d ask you. And while we’re on the subject of holidays, what do you normally do for Christmas?” When his expression went blank, Padmé winced and mentally kicked herself for asking such a stupid question. “I’m sorry. I doubt you have fond memories of a holiday that’s so centered on family.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, and for just a moment, he looked much older than 37. After it passed, he smiled at her as if those memories held no power over him. “I do not, but I look forward to making new memories with both of you.”

Not knowing what to say, Padmé kissed him. Her heart always beat a little faster when he talked about there being a future with them. It would devastate her if her parents refused to accept Obi-Wan because there was no way she was letting him go.

“Just how sentimental does Anakin get around Christmas?”

Padmé laughed. He already knew Anakin so well. “He’s not too bad, but we do the holidays a little differently. For Christmas, we sponsor a family through a local charity and get gifts for their kids. For Hanukkah, we volunteer at my family’s synagogue.”

Obi-Wan pulled her close again and rested his cheek on top of her head. Him being so affectionate was a clear sign that she hadn’t ruined the mood by accidentally making him think of his childhood. “Is that your way of handling the holidays as an interfaith couple?”

“It is. We’re happy to give back to the community. We decided to save the gift giving for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and our anniversary. Anakin _loves_ Valentine’s Day, so be prepared for that.”

He chuckled. “Aren’t you a romantic as well?”

“Yes, but he goes all-out. He actually covered our bed in rose petals last year and played what he thought was romantic music. I ended up laughing so hard, I pulled a muscle.” She laughed just thinking about it.

“What was so funny about that? It’s something I can picture him doing.”

“It sounded like music from a porno! He’s maybe watched two or three porn videos in his life, so he hadn’t made the connection.” Most porn didn’t have any kind of emotional depth, so it didn’t interest him. She suggested one video that portrayed what could have easily been a real-life couple, but he still didn’t get much out of it. It didn’t help that he was so shy about sex.

“Ah, well, I wouldn’t have made the connection either, but I can see why you find the humor in that. I’ll make a note to expect something overly dramatic from him.”

Anakin was going to be so excited about getting to shower _two_ people with love on that day. She couldn’t wait to see what he’d come up with.

As much as Padmé was enjoying being nestled up against Obi-Wan, her curiosity had reached its peak. “So what’s for dessert?”

Obi-Wan had to have asked Anakin because he revealed a small box of chocolate chip cookie brownies, which was in her top five favorite desserts. She recognized the name of the bakery, and they didn’t carry cookie brownies very often, so Obi-Wan had been in luck. After giving him a kiss, she practically inhaled three of them.

His face lit up in amusement. “Take the rest home with you.”

“I won’t say no to that. Thank you.” It was getting late, and she didn’t want to keep him up, especially since she caught him trying to cover up a yawn. “I should get going. You’ve had a long week.”

“I have, but it was a good one. I really enjoyed tonight, Padmé.”

She cupped his cheek and smiled when he leaned into the touch. “Me too. Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Padmé hoped there would be more dates where the two of them could be alone.


	19. Chapter 19

Satine lightly blew on her tea before she took a sip. “Just as good as I remember.”

Maybe her and Anakin could bond over their love of blueberry tea. Anakin had actually asked him if it was available in bags so he could brew it himself.

“I’ll keep enjoying my earl grey,” Obi-Wan said as he held up his mug. “You know, I think you and Anakin will get along just fine.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Because we like the same tea?”

“More because you both tend to get angry when you’re protective. You should have seen how he was when Quin was visiting.” Since Anakin had gotten a little jealous too, it was better she hadn’t been there. At least Padmé had sent him a text that evening to say she had a good talk with Anakin about his behavior, and it shouldn’t happen again. “When I told them you’d finally come up from LA, his face turned white. I think he’s afraid you’ll hate him.”

“Nonsense. I won’t hate either of them.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t worried about that, but he hoped Anakin would calm down once Satine greeted them without a trace of hostility. With Quin, Obi-Wan knew it would be rough at first because his personality would clash with Anakin’s, but Quin got along with nearly everyone, so Obi-Wan had been confident it would work out. If he’d known Quin was going to test them, he would have warned him not to make any negative comments about Anakin’s arm.

Satine put her mug down and angled her body toward him. “Are you still unsure of your feelings?”

“I . . . think I love them.”

“You _think_?”

Obi-Wan sighed. He was trying not to get worked up over it since his lack of reciprocation didn’t bother his partners. “Does it really matter? It’s not as though there’s a deadline.”

“I suppose it doesn’t. They must be very patient.”

“They are, even with matters of the bedroom.” He casually sipped his tea as he waited for her reaction, which would be much more subdued than Quin’s. Quin had thought Obi-Wan had no interest in sex at all, but Satine knew early on he was open to trying it with Anakin and Padmé at some point.

After a few seconds passed, her eyes widened, and she leaned forward while lightly holding onto his arm. “You . . . Really?”

“I tried,” he said with a shrug. “They didn’t get very far with me, but I didn’t have a problem with touching them.”

“When did this happen?”

“Almost a month ago.”

Frowning, Satine tapped the side of his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Obi-Wan had been dying to tell her. He missed being able to drive over to her apartment when he wanted to talk. “Because I knew you were coming up for a visit, and I wanted to tell you in person. I was unbelievably nervous, but they did everything they could to make sure I was comfortable, and they weren’t disappointed by the boundaries I set.”

Satine put his mug on the table before she hugged him tightly, and she didn’t have to say anything for Obi-Wan to know how happy she was for him. He closed his eyes and hugged her back.

She was smiling when she pulled away. “That proves they truly accept you. When will you start living together?”

He hadn’t even thought about moving in with them. They would need a bigger apartment or a small house. It wasn’t quite four months since his first date with Anakin, so it was much too soon to bring that up in conversation, but he had no idea when people usually moved in with their partner.

“I don’t want to rush anything. They’re right upstairs anyway.”

“True, and you’re close enough to take full advantage of Anakin’s baking skills.”

“I don’t take advantage. If he offers me something, it would be rude to say no.”

Satine laughed and patted his stomach. “I can see you’ve been using that excuse often.”

He hadn’t been eating that many desserts, but he was relieved she thought he’d gained weight. His scale didn’t even work since he had to replace the batteries, and he still hated looking at himself in the mirror without clothes on, but at least he was on the right track.

“I’ve been doing better about eating. Anakin has even helped me cook a few times.”

Smiling, Satine took his hands in hers. “You know I’ve been worried about you, and I am so happy to see how well you’re doing. Maybe you’ll reconsider talking to someone? You’ve gotten this far, so just imagine how much further you could go with professional help.”

Obi-Wan had been waiting for that to come up. She’d been suggesting he talk to a therapist for at least two years, and he’d always told her it wasn’t necessary. “I’m doing alright without it,” he said in a tone that conveyed he didn’t want to discuss it again. Thankfully, she let it go.

About an hour later, his partners showed up at his door, and Anakin was holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies with a nervous smile. Obi-Wan had told him he didn’t need to bake anything, but at least Satine would know Obi-Wan wasn’t exaggerating about how delicious Anakin’s creations were. It was a little funny that her first taste would be of the same baked goods he himself had when he met them.

After Obi-Wan gave both Anakin and Padmé a kiss on the cheek, he took the plate with thanks. “Satine, would you like a snack?”

Her eyes lit up when she saw the cookies. “Of course I do. And I’m so glad to finally meet you both.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you as well,” Padmé said.

Once they all settled down in the living room, Satine tried one of the cookies. “Alright, I need to find a boyfriend who loves to bake. I’m jealous,” she said as she pointed at Obi-Wan and Padmé. “Who taught you, Anakin?”

He smiled as he looked down at his lap. “I learned the basics from a neighbor when I was a kid, and I taught myself the rest through a lot of trial and error.”

“You have a real talent for it.”

“Thank you,” he said while meeting her gaze.

Looking at Padmé, Satine leaned forward slightly. “Obi-Wan tells me you’re something of a writer.”

Obi-Wan almost laughed at how quickly the blush appeared on Padmé’s face. He hoped he wasn’t supposed to tell Satine about that. He’d only brought it up once when they were texting, so he hadn’t given her any details.

“Not-not really. I mean, I used to write a little when I was younger, but it’s been so many years.”

“You don’t need to over-edit,” Obi-Wan said gently. “You can send it to me now if you want to.” From the way she had talked about her story, she was being too hard on herself when it came to writing. It was something he’d seen many times from various authors.

“He’s very good,” Satine said as she grabbed yet another cookie, “and his criticism doesn’t come across as mean-spirited. May I ask what you’re writing?”

“Just a short story about a fictitious triad. I’m going to give it to my parents so they have some idea of what polyamory is. I’m hoping it’ll make me telling them about Obi-Wan go a little smoother.”

Satine nodded as she finished chewing. Obi-Wan could tell she was resisting the urge to shove the rest of the cookie into her mouth. Although she would deny it, she always did have a sweet tooth. “I like that idea. What about your parents, Anakin? How do you plan on telling them?”

“I told my mom I’m poly before I even met Obi-Wan, and she thinks it’s a little weird, but it doesn’t bother her.”

He didn’t say anything about his stepfather, but Satine knew better than to question him about it. If someone only mentioned one parent, she assumed the other parent was either dead or not in that person’s life. Obi-Wan had only told her the basics about Anakin and Padmé, and Satine hadn’t pushed for more information.

“By the way,” Anakin said while he looked at Obi-Wan, “she’s coming up for New Year’s, and she wants to meet you.”

Based on what he knew about Shmi, he figured they would get along quite well. “I’m actually not nervous about that. Meeting Padmé’s parents, however . . . ”

Padmé put her arm around him. “Thanksgiving will be fine since we’re only introducing you as a friend, and Anakin promised he’ll be good about keeping his emotions to himself, right?” She turned to Anakin, who smiled and nodded.

Satine practically had hearts in her eyes as she looked at the three of them, which was a little frightening. She was usually very restrained in front of people she’d just met, but maybe she didn’t want to be seen as cold. He was just relieved she hadn’t decided to threaten them after all.

“I’m so glad I told him to accept your offer.”

Padmé moved her arm so that her hand rested on the middle of his back, and she glanced at him before a smile slowly spread across her face. “Did he ask you for advice?”

“Yes, but the note under your door was all his idea. I thought the whole thing was hilarious, especially since I was sure the two of you thought he was an old man.”

“We did!” Anakin grinned, and judging by his relaxed posture, he’d finally moved passed his nervousness. “You have no idea how startled we were when he opened the door.”

Nodding, Padmé rubbed the space between Obi-Wan’s shoulder blades. “And then Anakin opened his big mouth and told Obi-Wan he was cute.”

Satine laughed. She didn’t know every detail of what happened that day. “I wish I could have seen the look on his face. Obi-Wan still doesn’t realize how handsome he is.”

She gave up trying to convince him years ago, much to his relief. He was going to have to say something to Anakin about it because the frequent compliments on his looks were annoying. And Anakin was obviously pleased to hear Satine felt the same way about Obi-Wan. He wanted to roll his eyes.

“I know! I won’t call Obi-Wan ‘sexy’ because I’m pretty sure he would hate that, but he always looks like he doesn’t believe me when I say he’s beautiful.”

“I wish you would _stop_ ,” Obi-Wan muttered.

The smile instantly dropped from Anakin’s face. “What?”

_Damn it._ He hadn’t meant to get into it in front of Satine. Now who had the big mouth? “You saying it repeatedly won’t change how I feel about myself, so just stop.” When Anakin deflated, Obi-Wan felt like an ass. He could have been a little nicer about it, and considering Satine was frowning at him, she definitely agreed. “A compliment every now and then is fine, but your goal was very obvious, and I don’t like being reminded that I have self-esteem issues.” He supposed it was a step forward that he could openly acknowledge he had such issues, but Anakin’s method would never resolve them.

“I’m sorry,” Anakin said quietly. “I won’t do it again.”

Obi-Wan squeezed his shoulder to let him know he was forgiven. He knew Anakin had only been trying to help.

Satine deftly moved their conversation to the topic of Anakin’s robot, and his boyish enthusiasm had them all smiling. The rest of their visit was free of any awkward moments, and Obi-Wan was so happy to see his partners interacting with Satine as if they’d known her for years. Satine herself clearly enjoyed their company. She even gave them both a hug before they left.

“See? I told you I wouldn’t hate them.”

“They have your stamp of approval then?”

“Of course,” she said with a chuckle. “I’ll let you have some peace since I’ve been bothering you all day. I’ll let you know how it goes with the publisher.”

Smiling, he shook his head and pulled her into a hug. “You weren’t bothering me, Satine. It was good to see you.”

“You too, Obi.” She kissed his cheek and grabbed her bag of cookies from the table. “I’ll see you again the day after Thanksgiving.”

Obi-Wan sighed. He was sure he would have quite the story to tell her.

\------

The number of cars was a little intimidating, and Obi-Wan wished they’d gotten there earlier so that they weren’t walking into a full house. He tried to keep his pessimism from taking over, but it had become such a habit to expect the worst that he wasn’t having much luck. It didn’t help that it was pouring outside. _It’s not a bad omen. Just like Padmé said, everything will be fine._

Anakin patted Obi-Wan’s back after they all got out of the car. “I hope Aunt Maya doesn’t try to set you up with one of her daughters.”

That was the last thing he needed.

“She won’t do that because Obi-Wan’s a gentile,” Padmé said while she attempted to keep her hair from blowing into her face.

“True.”

Obi-Wan moved his umbrella to the side as the wind changed direction. It was almost too windy for an umbrella, but he refused to make a first impression while soaked.

“Don’t worry,” Anakin said. “They’re all very friendly.”

That was an understatement. As soon as they walked inside, he was bombarded with Padmé’s family members, each one giving him a hug or shaking his hand after being introduced. Anakin laughed when Maya immediately commented on how handsome Obi-Wan was and asked if he was single.

Once they reached the kitchen, an older woman wearing an apron kissed Padmé’s cheek before giving her a hug. “Hello, Padmé. How are you?”

“I’m good. It’s a shame about the weather.”

“It is. At least it’s supposed to clear up soon.” She turned to Anakin and greeted him the same way. “Hello, dear.”

“Hi, Jobal.”

Obi-Wan froze. That was the name of Padmé’s mother. He had to remind himself to stay calm because it would look strange for him to be so nervous when he was supposed to be no more than a friend.

“Mom, this is Obi-Wan.”

“Oh, hello!”

He should have been used to the hugs by that point, but it still startled him. Luckily, he managed to return the hug without making himself look awkward. “Hello. Thank you for allowing me in your home.”

“Of course! No one should be alone on the holidays. Please, help yourself to some appetizers.”

“Thank you.”

Although Obi-Wan hadn’t been to a party in over a year, he still remembered how to handle small talk and how to answer a question without really answering it. At least he didn’t have to lie about how he met Anakin and Padmé. They lived in the same building. No one had to know the specifics.

He somehow ended up in a conversation with two of Padmé’s cousins. They were still in college and wanted to know what certain European countries were like since they were considering studying abroad there. Obi-Wan hadn’t actually done much traveling outside of the UK, so they were disappointed by his lack of firsthand experience. Their never-ending questions were starting to grate on his nerves.

“So how freaked out were you by Anakin’s fake arm? Have you ever seen the stub?” Liam asked, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

That came out of nowhere. Obi-Wan couldn’t believe he’d actually said that out loud, but considering no one around them reacted, they hadn’t heard or they secretly agreed that Anakin’s disability was grotesque. He sincerely hoped it was the former. Glaring at Liam, Obi-Wan stayed quiet just long enough to make him uncomfortable before he gave his answer. “I have never been ‘freaked out’ by his arm. Did you truly think disrespecting my friend was a good idea? If you can’t be a decent human being, you should invest in a brain-to-mouth filter at the very least.” He would have said more if he wasn’t surrounded by Padmé’s relatives. Satisfied with their twin expressions of shock, he walked away and hoped he wouldn’t have to sit near either of them for dinner.

Luckily, he found Anakin in the kitchen with Jobal, Sola, and one of Padmé’s aunts, so there was no chance he overheard that exchange.

“Need a break?” Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan kept his expression from changing, but he was dying on the inside. Why would Anakin ask such an insulting question in front of Padmé’s mother?

Confusingly, Jobal laughed. “They can all be overwhelming, especially when you first meet them. It’s become something of a tradition for Anakin to join us in the kitchen to have a breather.”

Obi-Wan knew Anakin wasn’t fond of being around a lot of people in a small space, so he wasn’t surprised. Since Jobal obviously didn’t mind Anakin needing to hide out, Obi-Wan decided to be honest with her. “I appreciate how welcoming they are, but I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“You can cut those two loaves,” she said while pointing to the island. “Just make the slices about an inch thick.”

That was easy enough. After he washed his hands, he started cutting the first loaf, neatly placing the slices into one of the baskets given to him by Anakin. Not once did Anakin ask where anything was as he took out the various serving dishes needed for what looked to be an extensive array of food. Based on what Jobal said, it made sense that he knew his way around the kitchen.

“Padmé told me you work from home,” Jobal said. “I’m jealous. My commute is awful.”

So Padmé had told her parents a little about him. At least he wouldn’t have to tell her the basics. “Yes, but as a consequence, I don’t get out as much as I’d like to.”

“We’ve been helping with that,” Anakin said cheerfully.

“When did you move here from England?” Sola asked.

Although talking about certain topics didn’t make him automatically tense up like he used to, he still hoped they wouldn’t ask too many questions about his past. Maybe Padmé already told them he didn’t get along with his family. “About 12 years ago.”

Jobal’s eyes widened for a second. “Oh, you came here when you were young. Was it for school?”

Anakin smiled as he turned to Jobal and pointed at Obi-Wan with a large spoon. “He came here for a job. He’s actually 37.”

Jobal laughed, but Obi-Wan didn’t understand what was so funny. Perhaps it was an inside joke.

“Him too? Padmé keeps bringing home men who look years younger than they are.”

“Mom, you’re making it sound like she’s brought home a dozen men. Obi-Wan’s only the second one.” She winked at Obi-Wan when Jobal turned her head. She was the only family member who knew what he truly was to Padmé.

Padmé’s aunt walked up to the island and stared at him like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “Okay, I guess you could pass for late 30s.”

Moving the baskets of bread aside, Jobal put down a dish that seemed to contain homemade cranberry sauce. It certainly didn’t look like anything that came out of a can. “What did you go to school for? I assume it was something like creative writing or English.”

“Yes, I studied English.” He finished cutting the last few slices and cleaned up the mess he made. Crumbs had gotten everywhere.

“Were you a good student?”

Although Anakin had a pained expression—he’d probably been asked many questions himself when he first met Jobal—her curiosity didn’t bother Obi-Wan. “I was, but I focused on my schoolwork so much that a friend of mine practically dragged me to his club. He said I needed to interact with people more often, and sword fighting was a good way to calm the mind. Well, at least it was for me.”

Anakin stared at him with his mouth hanging open, and he carefully put down the heavy platter he’d just taken out of a cupboard before he walked over to Obi-Wan. “Wait, backup a second. You were in a sword fighting club in college? How did you forget to tell me this?”

“I never got around to it,” he said with a shrug. He’d meant to tell Anakin ever since he brought it up with Ahsoka. Afraid that his partner would get a little too excited and accidentally reveal his feelings, Obi-Wan continued the conversation with Jobal. “I actually hadn’t decided to go into the publishing industry until my last year when a professor had suggested it.”

“Do you work for one of the big publishers?” Padmé’s aunt asked. Obi-Wan wished he could remember her name.

“No, it’s a small press based in Miami. I’ve been with them for almost three weeks now, and I’m enjoying it very much.” Not only were his authors wonderful, his boss was the exact opposite of every supervisor he dealt with at his old job. He couldn’t believe his luck. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Jobal smiled at him. “You can start bringing everything out to the table.”

When Obi-Wan took the bowl of mashed potatoes to the dining room, he was relieved to see name tags at each place setting. With every dish he brought out, he tried to find his own name.

Anakin stood beside him and put down a bottle of champagne. “You’re between me and Uncle Dajo,” he whispered. “Don’t worry. He’s a cool guy.”

Dinner was called soon after all the food had been put on the table, and Obi-Wan expected to feel out of place, but he’d worried over nothing. They included him in conversations while explaining anything he wouldn’t understand, asked about what he’d been up to lately, and gave him recipe ideas when he mentioned not knowing what to cook. They almost treated him like he was a long-lost relative.

Much to Obi-Wan’s surprise, it was Ruwee and some of the men who cleaned up. When Obi-Wan tried to help, Jobal told him to sit down since he already did his part. It seemed the Naberries liked to share the workload.

“It really is a shame you’re Catholic,” Maya said after most of the food had been cleared away. “My neighbor’s daughter would have been perfect for you. Oh, but I do know a nice, young Christian man who I think you’d hit it off with, if you’re interested in men.”

Padmé’s family had no issue with anyone being a part of the LGBT community, and they already knew both her and Anakin were bisexual. Because of that, he didn’t hesitate in outing himself. “I’m actually interested in men and women, but I’m not looking right now.” The lack of a reaction from those who were listening was refreshing. All Maya did was shrug and tell him to let her know when he was looking.

A cousin got up from her chair and sat in the empty one across from Anakin. “Hey, I heard you made mandel bread.”

He grinned. “Yup, chocolate chip. Padmé said it came out good.”

Anakin told him that when he first met Padmé’s family, he brought a cheesecake and a raspberry tart since he figured they would be more inclined to like him if he offered baked goods. They liked him anyway, but a lot of them looked forward to his desserts from then on, so he always made something when there was a family gathering. Any Jewish dessert he baked came from a recipe that was given to him by one of Padmé’s relatives, and this was his first attempt at mandel bread. Obi-Wan tried a piece before they left to confirm it was in fact delicious.

The rest of the night went smoothly even though he panicked a little when Padmé dragged him into a conversation with Ruwee where she stayed mostly silent. She probably knew he had spent some time with her mother in the kitchen, so she wanted her father to get to know him as well. Ruwee had a pleasant demeanor, and like Jobal, he didn’t seem to suspect Obi-Wan was anything other than a friend to his daughter and his son-in-law.

Jobal insisted Obi-Wan go home with leftovers, which included a plate that was overflowing with cookies and pastries. He had enough food for at least three meals. Anakin’s mandel bread was nearly gone, and since he was spoiled with Anakin living right above him, he let others take what was left.

Saying goodbye was a whirlwind of hugs and handshakes, and Obi-Wan was exhausted by the time they walked out the front door. The relative quiet of the car only accentuated the ringing in his ears. As much as he enjoyed his time with Padmé’s family, he was glad the day was over.

“That went well,” Anakin said. “I wasn’t obvious, right?”

Padmé yawned as she fastened her seatbelt. “You weren’t. And I knew my parents would love you, Obi-Wan.”

“Their welcome may be rescinded after you break the news.” They could decide they only liked him when he was Padmé’s friend and not her romantic partner.

She shrugged. “They’ll probably be annoyed that we lied about who you are to us, but I’m confident they’ll accept you after a few months.”

Obi-Wan did not share her optimism. What if Jobal and Ruwee gave her an ultimatum? Padmé wouldn’t choose him over her family, and he wouldn’t ask her to. The last four months would mean nothing since he couldn’t continue to date Anakin if Padmé rejected him. Obi-Wan would be right back where he started, except he would know what he was missing. He shouldn’t have taken the chance. To have his heart ripped out now . . .

He stared at the back of Anakin’s seat, horrified to realize he did love them. He loved them, and it didn’t matter because he would have to let them go.

“Hey, are you alright?” Anakin asked. “You’ve been really quiet.”

Obi-Wan looked out the window and was shocked to see how close to home they were. Just how long had he been stuck in his head?

“Ani, he might have been sleeping.”

“He wasn’t. I looked in the mirror.”

Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes, wishing he could just lie down and forget the day even happened. Meeting them all made the fantasy he’d been living in crash around him, and he had to stop himself from trying to pick up the pieces to make it whole again. There was no going back. He should just end it now before Padmé said a word to her parents.

Padmé turned in her seat. “Obi-Wan, do you feel sick? Do you want Anakin to pull over?”

“No. No, I’m fine. Just tired.”

She stared at him, but the passing street lights weren’t bright enough for him to see what expression was on her face. “Anakin, pull over.”

“No, really, I’m alright.” _Don’t do this now. I’m not ready._

Anakin pulled into a small parking lot and turned the car off. “I think I have a bag in here,” he said as he rummaged around in the glove compartment.

“I’m fine!” Obi-Wan hadn’t meant to shout. He just wanted to go home, and they were making a big deal out of nothing.

_She has a family who adores her, and I can’t destroy those relationships._

_They’ll get over me much faster than I’ll get over them. After all, they’ll still have each other._

_I’m not worth all this trouble._

Anakin opened the rear door and crouched on the ground, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he took Obi-Wan’s hand and squeezed it like he was afraid Obi-Wan would bolt out the other side of the car. When Obi-Wan didn’t speak or move, Anakin shifted a little and put his other hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Please tell us what’s wrong,” he whispered.

He couldn’t look at either of them. “This isn’t going to work.”

“What isn’t?” Padmé asked as she undid her seatbelt.

“Us.” Obi-Wan closed his eyes and hated that they were having this conversation in the car in an empty parking lot. It didn’t feel right.

Anakin’s grip loosened slightly. “Are you freaking out about what Jobal and Ruwee will say once they know?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his knee. He looked at Padmé, and her eyes were shining as if she was trying not to cry. He didn’t want to upset her, but he had to say it. “They’re such loving parents. I don’t want to ruin what you have.”

“You _won’t_.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I promise.”

“You don’t know that.”

Anakin let go of Obi-Wan’s hand and gently turned his face toward him. “They like you. Jobal even told me herself that she thinks you’re ‘quite the gentleman.’ They’ll need time to accept it, but you won’t ruin anything. Please . . . Don’t leave me. Don’t leave _us_.” A single tear rolled down his cheek before he quickly wiped it away.

He couldn’t stand seeing Anakin and Padmé like this. Maybe he should believe them. He only met Jobal and Ruwee once, so how could he say what their reaction would be? If his partners were wrong, he would walk away, and there would be nothing they could say to stop him. Obi-Wan refused to break up a family.

Leaning into Anakin’s touch, Obi-Wan held Padmé’s hand and sighed. “As long as you’re right, I’m not going anywhere.”

Anakin smiled and gave him a kiss, one that lingered and made Obi-Wan melt a little.

After leaving a kiss on the back of his hand, Padmé got out of the car and opened the door across from him. When she started to transfer the bags of food to the passenger seat, Obi-Wan understood what she was doing, and he didn’t bother trying to convince her he didn’t need the company. All three of them were quiet for the rest of the ride home.

“You should spend the night with us,” Anakin said once they were inside their apartment building. “I could lend you some sleep clothes if you don’t feel like packing your duffle.”

“Wouldn’t the neighbors be scandalized if I’m wearing the same thing tomorrow morning?”

Padmé rolled her eyes as she hit the button for the elevator. “I seriously doubt any of them are paying that much attention. Besides, do you really care?”

He supposed he didn’t.

Padmé gave him a new toothbrush while Anakin gave him drawstring pants and a soft T-shirt. It was such a relief to know they weren’t expecting anything from him. They just wanted to be close to him. As he brushed his teeth, Obi-Wan debated about saying he loved them. There wasn’t a reason not to say it, especially since he already knew how they felt, but the words felt strange in his mouth. He still hadn’t made a decision by the time he got into bed.

“I’m so glad you came with us,” Padmé whispered into his ear as she cuddled up behind him. She sighed when she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Everything will turn out just fine.”

Anakin laced their fingers together. “Good night, Obi-Wan. I love you.”

Padmé kissed his neck and made the same declaration, and all Obi-Wan could do was wish them a good night. He hated that he couldn’t get the words out, but maybe he just needed time to get used to being in love before he could verbalize it. Like he told Satine, there wasn’t a deadline, and they were patient. Obi-Wan would tell them when he was ready to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already have about half of the next chapter written, so it shouldn’t be another long wait. (Sorry!)


End file.
